


EX'ACT, The Third Act

by Elyssian



Series: [K]ollection [6]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Dubious Consent, Evil!EXO, M/M, Multi, Not really graphic but blood and gore in the background, They Never Know Chapters are SMUT, monster au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-07-14 06:13:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 19,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7156820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elyssian/pseuds/Elyssian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They were Monsters, pretending to be the Lucky Ones. They Never Know, they never see. They've been faking it up on Cloud 9, playing around with their Artificial Love. The truth was they were drowning in the White Noise. They thought this path was the One and Only, and they tried to get Stronger. In the end, they were all lost souls, looking for a piece of Heaven.</p><p>(OCT-NOV: Hiatus b/c exams!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. (Make me a)Monster

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: This story contains mild gore, torture, heavily hinted rape/non-consensual sex, mild sex, themes of brainwashing and numerous uncomfortable themes. Also, this story is COMPLETELY FICTIONAL. Please note that EXO-K are not actually evil. 
> 
> About ships: This story multi-ships, may include poly-ships, and numerous past-ships. Also, no-strings-attached type ships and heavily hinted non-consensual sex between two people type ships, if you wanna call it a ship. In the tags you will find a list of ships where all parties are romantically involved at any point in the present setting of story. 
> 
> [Ask Me Anything!](http://ask.fm/AlexElyssian)

“You were supposed to lead them.” He says, and Lay sucks in a sharp breath as Suho's eyes bear into him. Even on the ground like this, his pulse thrumming under Lay's fingers and bleeding his life out on the concrete, Suho still looms over him.

“I'm not you.” Lay hisses. He can't afford fear, not anymore. “I'm not a leader.”

And a leader Suho is, his gaze making Lay flinch, his presence weighing the air. It does not matter, that Suho is hurt, fallen and weak. It does not matter that Suho lies upon the ground, with Lay straddled above him digging  fingers around his throat. If he commands Lay now, despite his state, Lay will obey out of pure compulsion.

“Kris wasn't a leader either.” Suho continues softly, wickedly. He slides a wet hand up the side of Lay's face and he freezes as the fingers leave red lines in their wake. “He wasn't supposed to be. He wasn't the Tree's first option.”

Lay remembers that. They had been waiting, in the darkness, when it came and it tried to choose him. He'd been so surprised, so sure it was a mistake, he had rejected the tendrils of light that had sought him out.

Lay turns away, fighting down guilt and shame as the fingers come away with a clear, slick sound. “The Tree's first option was not a wise choice.”

Suho murmurs lowly, darkly. “Lay.”

Lay feels the first waves of seething rage escape the cool facade before he has his face in a painful grip and his head is wrenched back, so Suho can catch and hold his eyes to him. It frightens Lay, the way he cannot look away from Suho's darkened gaze.

“You were the first option Lay. The Tree does not make mistakes. And because it took mercy on you, considered your pathetic reluctance, we fell apart.” Suho growls, and the fear Lay has repressed floats back to the surface.

Suho does not wear anger visibly. Where there should be storms there is deceptively still waters, luring prey in so unfathomable depth can seize and drown. He is good, too good, with masking himself. It is to Suho's benefit, that people underestimate him.

“I should you cut you off.” Suho continues. “The three of you, rotting away the Tree like you are. I should just cast you away.”

Lay reels. “You can't. You need us.”

“We don't.” Suho counters, dismissive.

Lay hisses and tightens the lax grip he had around Suho's neck. “Yes, you do. We will not let you discard us.”

Suho laughs and the sound is distorted to Lay's ears. _How is he so calm_ , Lay wonders, _when I'm sitting here trying to kill him?_

“Perhaps we should just get rid of you then.” Suho mocks. “We don't need healers. We need killers.”

Lay's vision goes red. “You think I can't kill.”

Suho surges up, a sudden movement that shifts Lay's balance and throws him back, reversing their positions. It is Suho now, above him, with a hand fisted in his hair.

“I know you can kill,” Suho says, twisting his hair so Lay can face the sea of bodies, each unmarked but dead. They had come for him, and some primal part of him had lashed out. When Lay came to, they were still and cold, devoid of wounds. Lay's powers leave no wounds, after all.

Suho lets go of Lay's hair to pull his hand over his shoulder and the backhand sends Lay's senses reeling.

“The problem is you won't,” Suho growls. “You can but you won't and your bleeding, naive heart is a _weakness_.”

Lay can barely see Suho through the sudden haze of pain. His powers are panicking, overwhelmed under Suho's presence, his leader's presence. His cheek won't heal, and he is too frazzled to care. Suho seemed to notice, because he let the anger leak away, sitting back to caresses the bruise blooming on Lay's cheek.

“You don't want me to throw you away, do you?” Suho says softly, almost gently. The contrast is so great Lay almost sobs. Throw Lay away? Lay will die, he'll wither, without the Tree of Life.

_(Yixing snap out of it. You know that's not true. The Tree is whispering lies.)_

“Don't abandon me. I- I'll kill. I'll kill for you. Just don't cut me away.” He breathes out, shuddering as Suho's hand presses into his bruise.

“Prove it,” Suho demands, an almost whisper that stays gentle despite its implications. He looks around, but there are no more living souls here, not between Suho and Lay. Lay prays he finds no one, but something catches Suho's attention and he tilts his head to the side, smiling. “There are more guards coming.”

Lay wasn't surprised. This was their facility. They would have noticed the breach by now and sent people up to find out why the left wing was on fire, why no one was responding and why the cameras around Suho's entryway were showing seas of blood.

Suho nudges Lay's cheek with his finger and Lay obliging moves his head to face the door. There are shadows gathering beyond the thin slit at the bottom, and with his ear pressed to the ground like this Lay can heat the uniform thunder of footsteps. Suho leans in to whisper, and his breath is warm on Lay's neck.

“When they come through that door,” Suho breathes and Lay's mind goes blank, blocking out everything but Suho's voice. “Kill them. From here.”

Lay's heart stutters. “I- I'm not strong enough for that.”

Suho sighs against his neck and Lay shudders. “Yes, you are. You can do it, precious _Yixing_.”

The name sends a jolt down Lay's brain, and his mind gives under Suho's orders.

**Kill kill kill-**

He reaches out for the sensation of life- lives gathering behind the door. One, two, three flickers of life. Lay counts the guards, a group of fifty, and reaches out his powers to curl around them. If they notice the perverse invasion, they give no sign. They are at the door now, getting ready to break it down.

The first two guards blow through the door before dropping, their hearts stopping, and they are joined by the next guard, and the next and the next and the next, until there are no more guards left and Lay is alone with Suho, feeling rotten and tainted.

“There.” Lay sobs. “I killed them.”

Lay looks back at Suho, finding his pleased face too close for comfort. “Good job Yixing.”

 _Don't call me that_ , Lay thinks, as Suho lowers his lips, forcing his mouth open and _claims_ , sinking teeth into his lips.

It's disgustingly arousing, Lay thinks, as he moans into Suho's mouth, saliva and blood mixing. Lay goes lax from the lightheadedness, and Suho takes that as a sign. He feels Suho press closer, and-

Lay should not, but he panics.

Suho draws back at the sudden assault of weak arms and he growls, grabbing Lay's wrists and slamming them down into the concrete. Lay sobs again, as Suho forces his power to bear on him, turning the air into lead.

“Lay. I'm your leader.” He says gently. “I'm not going to hurt you.”

 _He's not going to hurt you_ , the seed inside Lay echoes. _He will not hurt you,_ the Tree hums, watching and reaching from the separate dimension it's in.

 _No_ , Lay's mind argues.

 _Obey_. The Tree of Life resonates. _**Obey**_.

Somewhere in his muddled mind, Lay registers his body going pliant and Suho smiling.


	2. (You have never met) Monster(s like us)

Chanyeol nudges the body by his foot, and it lolls limply before slumping back into the ground. The stringless puppet makes a squelch as it slumps into its comrades, the open wound of its head spilling rust-scented blood over the body pile. Some of the blood springs back at his face. Chanyeol deduces the cause of death as having half his head teleported into some unknown place.

He licks at the blood on the corner of his lips and grins.

“Impressive Kai.”

Chanyeol looks up, and at the pinnacle of his morbid tower, Kai grins back, sweeping his arm back over the mound of corpses. From down here Chanyeol sees a red tinged shock of blonde hair and glinting bronze skin.

“I got thirty-six. How much of them did you get?” He asks, a cocky glint in his eyes. His voice bears a hint of pride, a hint of enthusiasm. That's a given Chanyeol supposes. They've never done anything this bold for a while. The enemy usually kept their larger forts well hidden.

Chanyeol laughs, happy to entertain the younger. He always enjoyed the company of his dongsaengs. Well, if Chanyeol was honest he liked having them look up at him, in awe or respect. Anyone older than him was a no go, D.O was a bitch to please and Sehun didn't exactly have 100% sentience so that left Kai, Chanyeol was afraid. (There was Chen too, but Chen tasted so much like fear Chanyeol found it nauseating.)

“Come see.” He motions and Kai disappears from his throne, erupting into existence beside Chanyeol in a blast of black smoke. Chanyeol holds out a hand (one touch and Kai could kill him as he had the guards) and walks backwards, tilting his hand palm up and waggling his fingers.

“Come hither my dear.” Chanyeol jokes and Kai rewards him with a pleased laugh, tilting his head back for effect and trailing after like a faithful puppy. They move across the loading bay, heading for the hangar that opens up to miles of dark forest. The perfect cover for their enemy (no one to question the mystery of their existence) and just as perfect for them (no one to hear the screams and see the fires).

Chanyeol backs into the adjoining hangar doors and hears Kai gasp and sees his face split into a childish, wide smile as he catches sight of the room through the slit between the doors. The open slit cuts an orange slash across Kai's face, casting a glow on Kai's face. Chanyeol giggles as he pulls back the door, letting angry red light spill out from the room.

“Pretty nice right?” Chanyeol says, a hint of pride in his voice. He supposes that's because he's as excited as Kai is, despite the seniority he feigns.

“Very nice,” Kai says, nodding appreciatively as he steps into the mess of fire and blood. “If you were trying to paint hell you did a pretty good job.”

It's gloriously hellish, lit in various shades of amber by Chanyeol's flames and the blood that leaked from several half-charred corpses. Most of the planes in the hangar are wrecked, save one with a slow fire roasting it. Kai can hear screams coming from it, a melody well suited for the environment.

“Take a picture yet?” Kai asked, leaning into Chanyeol. Chanyeol sighs. A job well done always sets a good atmosphere. He chuckled and looped an arm into Kai's waist.

“I did, but I was waiting to take a selfie with you.” Chanyeol murmured into Kai's blonde atrocity. “I'm becoming way too much like Baekhyun.” He says with a grimace once he catches his own words.

Kai chortled. “You don't say. Now let's take that selfie before Suho calls us.”

Chanyeol nuzzles into Kai one last time as he fishes out his phone. It's a new one since he'd made the mistake of poking Sehun with it.

He angles the camera carefully and makes a matching grin with Kai.

“Say cheese.”

The phone clicks and Chanyeol pulls it in to examine the shot.

“Feel like fucking to engrave the memories?” Kai murmurs lowly as he peers over Chanyeol's shoulder to see the shot. The shot's perfect, with just enough of the background to hint a job well done, and just as little scenery so that it won't be too bad if he loses his phone. Chanyeol feels his adrenaline surging back up as Kai continues to breathe warm breaths into his ear.

“Why the hell not.” Chanyeol shrugs and begins shedding his jacket.


	3. (We're the)Monster(s under your bed, in your closet)

The uniform is itchy, stiff and hot. No wonder these guys can't catch them, Baekhyun thinks. He can barely move right in the gear, let alone chase after nine inhuman young men. _(Twelve, they used to be twelve._

_**Traitorous bitches.** )_

Aways from him, D.O thumbs the card they swiped from one of the sceintists they'd just killed. He smears blood and grime into it, but it's not like they have to use it. The computers were open for them and doors didn't really hold well when faced with terrakinesis. Baekhyun peers at the picture and D.O, trying to see what's got him zoned out. It belonged to the guy D.O had crushed into a wall, if Baekhyun's memory serves him right.

D.O stops his fiddling for a moment to return Baekhyun's gaze and he frowns at his face. Baekhyun feels the gaze wash over him, nitpicking details, and sighs as he realises what this is about. D.O had an aesthetic kink he preferred to be maintained.

“Give me a moment. I'll put the chains back in.” Baekhyun grumbles. Where had he put the damn things again? Pocket?

D.O wrinkles his nose. “It's not that. You look annoyed. Didn't get much kills?”

“Barely got a kill in.” Baekhyun says sourly. He hated going undercover. He found it to be a bother, faking their capture and taking down systems without raising alarms. “These guys are like robots, had to keep with the act thanks to our _dear lord Suho's_ orders.”

D.O huffs and motions towards the wrecked remains of the doorway. Baekhyun had told him to rip out the mangled metal (D.O had punched it) from the door frame because he was not walking into an upright bear trap, _thank you very much._

“Then let's kill some.” D.O offers. “Or fuck, if that's what you want. It's not like we've got any shit left to do here.”

They haven't anything left to do here. Baekhyun has wiped all their feeds, Chen has saved any data worth saving and a well thrown punch from D.O left their computers in ruins. The mission is over, and Suho knows that they're best left alone for sometime to bask in the glow if he wants anything in the debriefing to sink in.

Might as well, Baekhyun thinks as he sheds the outer layer of thickly padded uniform. He nearly moans when cool air hits his bare arms. This shit was hot, damnit. Why hadn't these guys keeled over from heatstroke yet?

“I can't move in this shit.” He complains, and when he's down to his thin under shirt and pants he holds out a hand towards D.O. He raises an eyebrow.

“Jacket. I wanna kill first, then fuck.”

D.O smirks and obligingly shimmies out of his jacket. He's got a thicker shirt than Baekhyun so he's not sorry for the jacket. “Let's find Sehun then. He's probably got a few left to play with. Everyone else will probably have already killed theirs.”

Baekhyun nods and affixes his trademark smile, making a move for the door. It slips and he looks D.O over questioningly when a hand reaches out to stop him.

“Aesthetic, Baekhyunnie.” D.O murmurs, hooking an arm around Baekhyun's waist to draw him closer. Baekhyun groans, but D.O ignores him to smirk. He reaches into Baekhyun's pockets for the chains they'd bought after the Tokyo job and affixes the first chain into his collar, and the other end goes up on his bottom lip. Baekhyun nibbles at the fingers and D.O growls, tugging lightly.

“Change of plans. Fuck first, kill later.” D.O's arm snaps out and he yanks Baekhyun all the way in, their chests colliding.

“D.O!” Baekhyun whines as his face is brought up for a messy kiss. “We can get horny later!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it me or is it getting shorter


	4. (We wish we weren't)Monsters

Chen waits, curled in the shadows. He tries evening out his breaths, tries swallowing the bile that rises to back of his throat. It works a little, but Chen still has too stop the slight tremors in his hand, the wince he makes whenever he see catches sight of the blood on his clothes.

(If he winces in front of _them_ , they'll eat him alive.)

As Chen's heart slows, his ears pick up the distant sound of heavy footsteps. Chen looks back, contemplating his exit. It's a no go- the acrid scent of burnt flesh is already tickling at his nose. If Chen goes back down that corridor, he's going to start retching.

(He did that. Well, some of that. D.O had given him a look of utter disgust when he caught Chen idling away, following him around. He'd been locked into a corridor with a squad of armed guards coming around the corner.

“Don't be a damn burden and start killing people already.” D.O had hissed through the door before leaving.)

The footsteps grow heavier, stronger and closer. Chen bites down on a cheek and accepts that there was really only one way this would go.

One of them would have to die.

He has to do this fast, or it will hurt.

The straggling guard passes by his hiding spot, a hallway with it's lights blown out, and Chen lunges. He wraps an arm under his ribs, where he knows the armour is thinner and the heart is not too far off, and he discharges enough electricity to power a small house. The man goes limp and Chen smells burnt cloth and skin.

Chen feels like vomiting, as he lets the body drop away from him. He'll never get used to this, he fears. He'll never be the monster the others want him to be.

He sits back a bit too heavily, a bit too tired and tries evening his breath.

“Shit. Shit, shit, _shit.”_

Chen tries to steady out his breathing again, curling against a wall. Why can't he kill without having a breakdown? The others could do it without blinking. Chen squeezes his eyes shut and fights back the tears.

Chen feels a hand land on his shoulder.

Chen jerks wildly and starts to scream, but the hand that slaps over his mouth is cold, ice cold, and he is drawn in to a loose embrace.

“Sshh. Chen, it's me.”

Chen relaxes into the hug, sinking into the frosted arms, and breathes out shakily. “Xiumin. You scared me.”

Xiumin chuckles. “I noticed. I'm sorry about that.”

Xiumin pulls back to smile kindly. Chen smiles back, but he notices that there is worry eating away at Xiumin's facade.

“Hyung? What's wrong?”

Xiumin tugs Chen back against his chest (avoiding his eyes, Chen thinks) and brings his head to rest under his chin. Chen relaxes as Xiumin rubs small circles into his back.

“Nothing's wrong.”

There was a pause, and Xiumin sighed. “I just don't like this job.”

“I don't either.” Chen mumbles into Xiumin's jacket. “I wish we could just… leave.”

Xiumin stiffens and Chen pulls back, hurrying to take his words back.

“I- I mean I know we can't, but I-”

“It's okay Chen.” Xiumin murmurs, running a hand into Chen's hair. He bites his lip. “Chen. Do you want to leave with me?”

Chen blinks. “What?”

Xiumin waves a hand over the body, the stained walls and the painful flashes of warning lights. “I'm sorry Chen, but I'm not going to keep doing this. I know you don't want to either.

Chen's heart stutters. “You mean we could just- leave? Like Kris and the others?”

Xiumin nods gravely, before reaching out a tentative hand to cup Chen's face. “Do you- do you want to leave with me?”

He does want to leave. Chen has never had the stomach for hurting others. But…

“But what about Lay? If we leave him, Suho will punish him.”

Suho had punished them when Kris and Luhan left, and again when Tao disappeared. Xiumin and Lay had bore the brunt of it, shielding Chen, but if they disappear like this, Lay will suffer alone. Xiumin bites his lip.

“You're not going to like this. Lay knows I planned to leave today, and he asked me to take you with me.”

Chen blinks in confusion. “Then how is Lay leaving?”

Xiumin's eyes darken and he looks away.

“We're going to leave him?” Chen whispers. “He's going to stay here?”

Xiumin sighs and sags. “Lay asked us to leave him. Lay wants- he wants to distract Suho.”

Chen feels bile rising in his throat. “He can't. He can't, he'll get hurt.”

Xiumin purses his lips and pulls Chen's shaking form up. “He's distracting Suho right now. We don't have a lot of time Chen.”

Chen protested weakly against Xiumin's hold. The elder seemed determined to get them out of here. “We can't leave Lay- _we can't leave Yixing!”_

Xiumin softens and he tilts Chen's face towards him. “Jongdae. Lay asked us to leave him. He wanted to give us this last chance.” The he added hesitantly, “We can come back for him. We will, with Yifan and the others.”

Chen fisted his hands in Xiumin's jacket. “We'll- we'll come back. Before Suho does anything to him?”

Xiumin nodded darkly. “Before Suho breaks him.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT IS THIS. Is this… PLOT???


	5. Monster(?)

Sehun shifts his foot and grumbles quietly. Below, Baekhyun shoves his boot into a guard's faceplate, the resulting crack echoing through the large lab. Sehun closes his eyes as Baekhyun's bell-laughs resounds through the stripped lab. Sehun hears a terrified squeak as Baekhyun drags one of Sehun's other toys, a petite scientist with shattered wrists and a torn tongue, forward. Sehun flinches and growls as the toy lets out a high pitched scream, cut short by the sharp crack of bone.

Sehun rolls to his front and peaks an eye open when he catches the scent of ashes and smoke. Sehun spots two heads, one fiery red and the other bright blonde, striding into the labs and chuckling at Baekhyu and Kyungsoo.

“Sehunnie! Come down here!” A low voice calls up.

Sehun shifts and jumps to a higher supporting beam, one of the many that criss-crossed the ceiling, pointedly ignoring Chanyeol. He hears a low chuckle in response and growls.

“Sehunnie! Did Baekhyun take away your toys?” Chanyeol called up with a laugh. Sehun sniffles and decides that he wasn't going to deign that with a response.

He hears Kai prod at Chanyeol, speaking in normal tones. “Why are we even bothering? The dog can't respond anyway.”

Sehun frowns looked down. Close, not far at all. He blew down a particularly cold wind, sharp and quick. He snickers as Kai yelps, the cold hitting his exposed neck. Sehun leans back, satisfied, as Chanyeol and Baekhyun roar at him. (He heard D.O chuckle quietly.)

“Kai, it's rude to call Sehun a dog.”

Sehun sits up and pears down, squinting, seeing Suho come in dragging Lay by the collar. D.O raises a quizzical eyebrow and Baekhyun stops stomping on the toy. Chanyeol moves aside, pulling Kai with him, as Suho comes up to them and looks up.

“I think it would be more apt to say our Sehun is a wolf.” Suho continues, smiling. “Come down Sehun.”

He obliges, jumping down the beams and sliding down the wall when he ran out of supporting structures. His powers made this easy, made his body as manoeuvrable as the wind.

When he reaches Suho, a hand goes out to thread his fingers through Sehun's hair. Sehun purrs satisfyingly in response.

“Poor Sehun. Did Baekhyun take away your toys?” Suho chuckles. Sehun growls again and Suho pets his head comfortingly. “I'll let you play with Lay later okay?”

Suho lifts Lay slightly and brings him closer to Sehun for a look. Sehun leans forward to sniff at the blood matted hair and hums. “I'll let you play with Lay a lot later.”

How unusual, Sehun thinks. Suho never lets him play with their own. Sehun looks up but flicks his eyes back down when he sees the darkness in Suho's eyes.

Suho straightens up and any sense of warmth vanishes.

“It has come to my attention that our dearest Xiumin and Chen have run away.” Suho says with a tight smile and the hand on Sehun's hair tightens. Sehun bites back the whine (Suho was angry, best not to make him angrier) and sees the others stiffen (hears Kai sputter).

“How long since they made a break for it?” D.O asks, brisk and to the point.

Suho shifted into a contemplative look and he shook Lay's collar. Some of the blood that was on him splatters on the floor and from this distance, Sehun in Suho's right hand and Lay in his left, Sehun can see the wince. “Care to tell us when exactly they left Lay?”

Lay kept quiet, but Sehun could feel the others grow more interested. Lay is a traitor, that much is obvious at this point. That means Lay is fair game. Chanyeol and Kai always wanted to try playing with Lay, with his impressive healing. It would be a challenge for them.

Suho tuts at the lack of response and lets go of Lay, letting him drop to the floor. Sehun hears something shift, a bone or two, and Lay lets out a quiet gasp of pain. The hand on Sehun's hair loosens and Suho tilts his head up.

“Sehun? I want you to go out and scare them a little okay?” Sehun blinks up at him, and Suho smiles. “Fighting both of them will be hard, but they'll be far enough that only you can find them. Just scare Chen if it's too hard okay Sehunnie?”

Sehun nods and makes one last lean into Suho's touch, before pulling away and scampering off. Xiumin was strong but Sehun wagers that he could at the very least get a good bite in. Chen would be easy to scare.

As Sehun leaves the room he hears Suho go back to his cheerful voice, speaking to the others.

“You've all done a very good job. As a reward, I'll let each of you have a bit of Lay. Just a bit okay?”

As Sehun leaves the building he hears Lay scream.


	6. (We were the un)Lucky ones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added a lot of stuff to chapters 2-5 along with editing so you might want to pop back and read those.

The rain had lightened up considerably, which was meant to be a blessing for Minseok. There was less of Suho's element surrounding them ( _choking them_ ) and what little water there was, Minseok and Jongdae could turn to their advantage. If Suho came after them now, Minseok was fully prepared to fight back.

The problem was, they weren't really ready to fight anyone else, especially not someone who used to be child to them.

“Sehun,” Minseok said slowly, edging forward inch by inch. When Sehun was like this, his mind shuttered and feral, it was best not to agitate him. “Let Jongdae go _please_.”

Sehun growled at him, pulling his body lower to Jongdae's. Minseok stopped his miniscule advance and looked at his lover helplessly. Jongdae was flat on his front, pinned to the forest floor by Sehun entire weight. Sehun had crouched over Jongdae like a wolf claiming it's prey, and if Minseok did anything rash now Sehun would do what all wolves did- go for the kill. Jongdae tried to breathe calmly, trying not to set off Sehun and assure Minseok, but the post-rain fog was cold and he shivered involuntarily.

“Sehun I know you're in there.” Minseok continued, keeping his voice level and calm as he inched forward again. Sehun bared his teeth and Minseok resisted the urge to flinch. “You're not all gone yet, aren't you?” He continued soothingly. He saw Sehun's eyes flicker. Hopefully, _hopefully_ , that meant he was in there somewhere listening. 

Minseok finally drew close enough for Sehun to tense and snap upwards. As Minseok reared back defensively, he met Sehun's hollow, blank eyes.

Sehun wasn't in there anymore.

“Shit.” Minseok lunged forward, realising his mistake and cooling the mist into sharp ice around him, but it was too late.

Sehun bit down on Jongdae's shoulder and pulled. Jongdae felt the blood before the pain, heard Minseok cry out and saw his arm coming away.

The resulting scream scattered a hundred forest animal for miles.

* * *

 Lay can barely remember being Yixing.

Yixing had been 17 and one of many young men who aspired to be doctors. (For family, for profit, for the sake of being good men.) (He would have rather been a dancer.) Yixing was a bit of shy boy, a clumsy boy, but he was a friendly boy and Yixing was happy. Yixing lived a quiet life in Changsa and was supposed to live that quiet life until the day he died. (Old and experienced, weary and ready for death.)

But Yixing was stupid, and when he heard about the Tree of Life Yixing made a very foolish decision.

He sent himself on the path to Lay.

Lay was still shy, maybe a little less friendly but he was by no means whatsoever happy.

Lay was a monster.

But Lay was alive, and that counted for something, because Yixing was dead the moment he met the Tree of Life.

* * *

 Xiumin remembers being Minseok.

Minseok had been 15 and happy. Minseok worked at a cafe nearby the school sometime, making coffee because he wanted to (and because he had too, because he wasn't really that well off) and making friends because he wanted those too (he loved Woohyun and Hakyeon). Minseok had been satisfied with his life, up till the point he heard about the Tree of Life.

Minseok heard about the Tree of Life in an email.

It was junk mail, some advertisement for an urban legend site and Minseok had been bored enough to click it open.

 _Have you heard about the tree of life?_ (I wish I never had.)

_The Tree of Life is said to be half of a deity that bridges two mirror worlds. The Tree roots itself in our world, and upon it's branches are twelve fruits. Each fruit represents an aspect of the Tree's ‘powers’. Strength, tenacity, passion, hope, dreams and such. Every centurial eclipse the deity in the Tree harvests it's fruits to make a new Tree, stronger than before._

_But on the other side, the mirrored world, a darker version of the Tree lays waiting. This other tree is said to have lost it's fruits and become unable to wither away in peace. It grew twisted and dark, becoming a rotten husk. From this corpse grew a single eye, red with anger._ ( **Why?** , it had asked them. It had been so loud, Minseok had bent over screaming. **Why do you have it?** ) _The Eye sought out the fruit of the other tree. It wanted it's power back, it wanted to be reborn into something greater. Sensing danger, the Tree hid away it's fruit on our world. Every eclipse, the fruits are said to give out a sign to communicate with the deity, to let it know that they were safe._

_Notice: The next eclipse will be in 00:00:00:01:12_

_Bullshit_ , Minseok had scoffed. _Bullshit_ , he had though as he closed the page. That was some bullshit, Minseok had thought as he got of the train to walk home. Magic trees and mirror worlds? He sniggered at the idea. He wasn't some gullible fool. Minseok thought it was complete bullshit, right up till the point the sky darkened and he'd looked up to see the moon blotting out the sun.

He didn't think it was bullshit anymore after he passed out and woke up in freak snowstorm in the middle of summer.

(The next time he woke up everything was dark and there was a tree, the Tree, _whispering lies to him-)_

* * *

 Lay wakes to softness, a jarring contrast to the cold, wet floor he'd passed out on.

“Finally.”

Lay forces his aching limbs to move and he props himself up. He backs himself into the headboard of a large bed, fancy curtains pulled away at the sides.

He's ‘home’, then.

Baekhyun stands across him, leaning with his hands propped on the footboard and smirking. There is a playful twinkle in his eyes, something that Lay could pass off as mischief had it not been something more sinister. D.O is reclining in a chair behind him, patiently waiting for Baekhyun, tapping a finger on his knee.

“So, Lay. Suho says we get to play with you tonight.” Baekhyun says as he shifts to the bedside. Lay notices that his hands are attached to the bedposts with loops of silvery chains, just like the ones on Baekhyun's face. (Aesthetic, Baekhyun had giggled. I bet you'd look great chained up, he'd whispered.)

Lay tenses, closes his eyes and tries to will the world away as fingers start trailing his skin.

* * *

 Chanyeol hears Kai spit out the soju he'd stolen from him and turns around to call him rude, _how could you waste alcohol?_ Instead he looks up to see that Sehun is back, a little fog damp and half soaked in rust scented blood, a wild look in his eyes and wind in his hair.

And Sehun has an arm clamped between his teeth.

Kai curses and grumbles, grabbing the soju and muttering about dogs and stenches, while Chanyeol rumbles out a laugh that has Sehun perk, pleased.

“Suho hyung! Sehunnie's back and I think he has a present for you!” Chanyeol yells down the halls, tapering off with a giggle. The dog has brought home a dead mouse. (Or was that a cat?)

He saunters over to where Sehun is prowling through the living room, moving through the smoke that has replaced Kai, looking for somewhere to settle. Chanyeol draws near and taps Sehun on the shoulder lightly, to let him know he's being addressed. Sehun stops to blink up at Chanyeol, the arm still clamped between his teeth.

“Brought something back did you Sehun?”

Sehun looks at him questioningly. Chanyeol taps his mouth and motions for Sehun to put the arm down. He obliges with a wrinkle of his nose, but Sehun hangs on to the wrist. Chanyeol sees the burnt frays of the sleeve and thinks its probably Chen's arm, since Xiumin is a monster in a fight.

“Sehun?” Suho calls out as he comes out of the hallways. There are wrinkles in his dark blue shirt, the faint scent of paper and ink on his person. Suho had probably been forging paper for them again. Chanyeol grins and blocks half of his view, so Suho draws near warily. “You brought back something? What- oh.”

“You said to scare Chen.” Sehun says, holding out the arm. It drips onto the carpet, but blood on their rugs isn't anything new. “So I scared Chen.”

Suho spends a moment slightly surprised, before he breaks into a delighted smile and goes forward to ruffle Sehun's hair proudly. “Good job Sehunnie! You've done so well haven't you?”

Sehun preens under the touch, the praise and Chanyeol chuckles. Such an easy dongsaeng. He nudges Suho slightly. “Sehun deserves a reward then.”

Suho looks at him and nods thoughtfully. “You can play with Lay for a whole week starting tomorrow Sehunnie. Tonight you can go shower and then come to my room okay?”

Sehun beams, and Chanyeol manages to add his own hair ruffle before the boy is sprinting back to his room, the arm in tow. Chanyeol watches his singed and slightly frosted jacket disappear around a corner and chuckles.

“Great kid.” Chanyeol says passively, moving to clear Kai's mess at the kitchen counter. Suho hums in a agreement and leaves, down the same way as Sehun. Chanyeol thinks, _lucky the walls are soundproof. I'd hate to hear them go at each other._


	7. (How are we the)Lucky One(s ?)

Sehun cannot remember anything. Well, Sehun can't remember most things. Sehun is very bad at remembering things clearly now.

Sehun used be normal, but now he's not.

Sehun does not remember if he was someone before he met the Tree, but Sehun was told that he'd known the Tree for a very long time.

“You're twenty three right now.” Suho explained to him, when he asked. “You met the Tree when you were twelve. That means you've known the Tree for eleven years now.”

Sehun's head had been clearer that night, as it had the tendency to he when he spent long periods of time near Suho. (Or after they had sex.) Suho's seed from the Tree was a leader seed, so Sehun's seed could resonate with it better then he could with the rest, as fractured as he was now. And when seeds resonated, seeds got stronger.

“How long have I been this Sehun then?” Sehun asked lazily, half-way to sleep. It'd been a long day for him. Suho didn't look up from his work, but he petted Sehun's hair periodically to ease him. It made him feel okay. (It reminded him he was there, in that body, on that earth.)

“The Tree met you when you were twelve, but it only implanted the seed in you when you were fifteen. You've been this Sehun since four years ago when our seeds settled together. You were nineteen.” Suho answers, slowly so Sehun can catch all his words with his bony hands and pour them into his thin frame, hoping it will fill him and make him into something. _(Anything, anything that means something.)_

Sehun hums, feeling himself slip into sleep.

“How long have I been a broken Sehun then?”

The hand in his hair stills. Sehun blinks up sleepily, watching in confusion as Suho's face fell. What had Sehun asked again? He couldn't quite remember. Sehun isn't very good at remembering things.

“You've been like this since you asked me to do this to you two years ago.” Suho muttered, pulling away from his work to kiss Sehun's forehead. Sehun sighs and burrows further down into Suho's bed, into the arms that have wrapped around him. _(Safe, safe, safe. There used to be someone else who did this, hugging him warmly but he can't- he can't remember-)_

“It's okay Junmyeon hyung. I asked you to take the pain away and you did.” Sehun mumbles, yanking out words from the mess in his head. It's taking too much to stay awake and think. Maybe he should just fall away, into sleep.

As Sehun falls asleep, Suho looks down at the boy, the boy, in his arms and whispers bitterly. “But I took everything else away too Sehun, can't you see?”

* * *

 

Minseok wakes to Jongade turning away in bed. It's too dark out to be morning, and the sound of humans going about are absent. It makes the motel room feel oddly detached from the world.

It feels… safe.

“Dae?” Minseok calls out sleepily. He hears Jongdae's breath stutter and Minseok pushes the last vestiges of sleep away, reaching out to pull Jongdae back to him. “Dae, what's wrong?”

“Nothing.” Jongdae stammers out, a little too quickly. Minseok scoffs. “Bullshit.” But he rubs Jongdae's back soothingly, murmuring an apology for making him jump, and waits for him to relax. Jongdae breathes out shakily.

“I'm sorry for waking you up, it's just-”

Jongdae curls in on himself and reaches for the empty space beyond his right shoulder. “It hurts.”

Minseok tenses as screams and blood flash through his mind, and he inches forward to envelop Jongdae in his limbs. He tucks the sleep mussed mop of dark hair under his chin and pressed a kiss to the crown of Jongdae's head.

“It's okay Dae. It's okay to cry.”

* * *

 

Lay dreams about the first time he met the others.

Kris had gone out first, as the leader, but as he reached into the tree Lay felt his uncertainty. His worries. The insecurity that plagued him.

Lay felt guilty.

The Tree had originally chosen him to bear the burden of leadership but Lay had run away from it. And now Kris had that burden. He held a degree of responsibility for how Kris felt at that moment.

So when Kris reached in the Tree hesitantly, fearfully, Lay reached out.

They connected, a bright spark in the darkness as the seed in Lay recognised the seed in Kris and resonated. Lay felt a surge of… right. As if he had been wandering around all his life with an organ missing and he's found that organ now. Kris tugs on the connection, lightly, but it's enough for Lay to come rushing out of the darkness, his existence being pulled out from where it had rested in the Tree and brought out to the material world.

In the Tree, Lay had felt like air. Immaterial, insubstantial, a ghost. Being brought back out into the world felt like a million spread out molecules had slammed into each other to force something intangible into a solid form. It was, to say the least-

“Uncomfortable?” Kris asked with a shy smile, looking at Lay sputter and gasp.

“Quite!” Lay hacked out, but he smiled back and felt Kris ease. They spent a moment gathering themselves, collapsed onto the cave where the Tree's roots peaked out into their world, before Kris went back to pulling their new family out, one by one. Xiumin was next, followed by Luhan and then an excited Tao. Chen had been last, a bundle of nerves fighting down jitters with a bright smile. They spent a moment appraising each other, gauging them, testing their bonds. It was the first time they had met face to face, but they felt like they'd known each other for years.

Lay had tested his bond with Kris, the strongest as it was then, and found his bonds with Chen and Luhan stronger than his bonds with Tao and Xiumin by a slight. Their compatibility was't bad though, all in all. All they needed to do now was actually get to know each other through experience.

“What now?” Luhan spoke up, once the wonder and curiosity had settled and the air became more easy.

“There's a second half.” Kris remarked absently, still drinking in the feeling of being connected to five people on a level no human could ever hope to achieve. Kris's bonds would be stronger, since he was the leader. “We'll look for them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does anyone want EXPLICIT SCENES??? Smut?? Torture?? Or should I leave you to guess??


	8. (What did it mean, to be the)Lucky One(?)

Minseok wakes to Jongdae's fingers carding through his hair, Jongdae's chest pressed into his and Jongdae's voice murmuring softly into the air between, like prayers to unseen gods.

“We'll be okay. We have to be okay. We'll be okay now. _Please_ , let us be okay-”

He breaks off into a sob, and Minseok moves his hands up to wrap around Jongdae instinctively in comfort before he drags his eyelids open. He sees Jongdae's fine cheeks wet with tears, glittering in the soft streetlight that bleeds into their room from the outside.

“Ssh, Jongdae. Calm down baby.” Minseok murmurs back, softly trailing kisses down Jongdae's face, kissing away the tears. This isn't the first time Jongdae has woken up to nightmares since they left. It's been getting worse since their bonds have been fading.

There is a solution for that, but Jongdae is too injured. Minseok would hurt him, won't risk hurting him.

“Minseok,” Jongdae whimpers, “It hurts.”

Minseok moves his hand over Jongdae's right shoulder and carefully massages it. “Do you want more painkillers?”

Jongdae shakes his head and Minseok frowns. He can see the tears gathering at the corners of Jongdae's eyes. Jongdae tries hard to be strong, but even Minseok cam see he's reaching his limit. Minseok pulls him in closer, wishing he were not so cold.

Then something sparks on Minseok's arms and he recoils, hissing.

“Oh no, Minseok- It's not my arm.” Jongdae gasps, as he jerks back, away from Minseok. Minseok gets up in alarm as trails of electricity start dancing across Jongdae's skin, lighting up their small room. Jongdse looks up in terror as he whispers, “It's the seed. It's- it's acting up. Please, please, _get away from me-_ ”

Jongdae sparks once, and the entire city of Berlin plunges into darkness.

* * *

 

Lay wakes to the sensation of warm water lapping at his chest, a familiar hand thumbing at his cheek. Lay would be contented to sink back into what feels like a nice bath, if the hand hadn't belonged to who it did.

“What are you doing Suho?” Lay sighs, his voice hoarse from screaming. Baekhyun and D.O made a good pair for torture- Baekhyun focused on mental attacks and D.O backed him with the necessary strength to break bones. (Baekhyun knew just what words would get to him and D.O knew how leave wounds that would leave marks in his soul.)

“I'm washing you up.” Suho hums cheerfully. The lap of water is irregular, Lay notices. He must be using his powers.

“How kind of you.” Lay says dryly.

Suho chuckles and makes the surface of the water come up in tendrils, running up Lay's torso to wind into his hair. “It's interesting, to see you unmarked, after all that torture. I wanted to see, but I couldn't tell past all the jizz and blood those two left on you.” Lay winces and Suho smiles, picking up one of his limp wrists to the light.

“This was broken just now.” Suho says, dangling it back and forth. “You healed but by the looks of it, you can't exactly move it yet can you?”

Lay bites down a lip and looks away. Suho knows the extent of his powers. He had forced himself into Lay's bonds days ago. Suho would know that Lay can barely move anything right now. It makes him feel more vulnerable than before.

Lay tries making himself small, but he looks up at Suho in defiance. I won't be scared of you, he thinks as he meets shadowed dark eyes, flickering from thought to thought.

“If you could run right now,” Suho ponders. “Would you run to Kris?”

“Maybe not.” Lay whispers. “But I'd run away from you.”

Suho's grip on his wrist tightens, and Lay gasps when something cracks. “You used to be different.” Lay cries. “You used to be kind, Junmyeon. What did they do to you in that labyrinth?”

Suho lets his hand drop back to the water and the small impact is enough to send a jolt of pain up Lay's arm- Suho had reopened a half healed fracture, Lay supposes. Suho stands and Lay blinks up through the tears, watching his face.

It looks tired.

Suho bends down to scoop Lay into arms, the water running back into the tub and leaving them both dry.

“I think you know just what that labyrinth was Yixing.” Suho mutters into Lay's ear. “You know the truth. The rest have forgotten but I know you remember. That's why you let them go.”

“If you were still you, you would have let them go too.” Lay whispers into Suho's chest, as he brings them out of the bathroom and into his room, where Sehun is curled into the bed.

“You'll be with Sehun for the week.” Suho declares, his voice detached, and he tosses a robe at Lay before leaving him to cry into the sheets.

* * *

 

At the labyrinth, they were separated.

It'd been a year since they floundered into this world, still young and captivated by their new powers, the very _concept_ of their powers. The Tree had left them largely to their own devices, but it gave them gentle nudges once in a while.

When they came across the labyrinth, a year after they emerged from the Tree, they were told to stay away.

 _Danger_ , their senses hummed. _Evil_ , the Tree had warned.

It had peaked their interest, to have such clear orders from a being that made it's existence a vague notion in their lives. It was curiosity that won over their fear and adrenaline that pushed them forward, the desire to use their powers in all their glory, and they had gone into the labyrinth.

It took them a month to escape, but since the labyrinth existed within the rift between two worlds, outside of ordinary concepts of time, they felt more than a month go by inside the labyrinth. (Tao had approximated a day outside the labyrinth as roughly a week inside it- they had spent forty three days in there, which meant forty three weeks, almost a year.) It had been enough time that when they remerged, they were changed. They were older, hardened, disillusioned.

But the ones who had changed the most were Suho and Kris, who had been separated from them.

(A month later Kris would run, followed by Luhan, and the Tree would begin to ask them to kill.)


	9. (Is it worth being the)Lucky One(s?)

Jongdae woke up to the sounds of loud, angry arguing.

It confused him, to hear a third voice in the little apartment they'd broken into. It was an abandoned apartment block, with no electricity and water that only ran occasionally. They didn't really have the money for better. Jongdae's ability had gone on the fritz, and he hadn't been able ‘convince’ ATM machines to dispense money at them as of late. Minseok had been going out, doing a combination of odd jobs, begging and stealing.

Jongdae felt guilty for leaving all the work to Minseok, especially since he'd almost hurt Minseok several nights ago. The best he could do now was stand out in the street and try using his injury to make him look a pitiful beggar.

The argument outside the room door got more heated. Some of the words filtered through the door and to his surprise, Jongdae recognised that voice.

“You know how bonding works, you have to do it if you want to stop your powers from failing and killing you-”

“I can't, his injuries are too bad. It's risky.”

“Well, by the sounds of it he's going to end up dying if you don't.”

Jongdae shoved off the thin blankets and stumbled towards the door.

_Holy shit, is that-_

He reached for the handle, but the door flew open before he could.

“Dae? Shit, did we wake you?”

Jongdae staggered forward into Minseok and looked past him. He had changed since Jongdae last saw him, his face a bit sharper and his hair had grown wilder, but there was no mistaking him.

“Zitao?” Jongdae breathed. “Zitao, is that you?”

He stepped back in surprise. “Jongdae? What happened to you?”

Zitao's eyes were locked on Jongdae's right side, on the stump where his shoulder ended. He looked horrified, and he drew nearer with a hand outreached. He wavered near the bandages and flinched.

“I can't believe they'd do this to you.” Zitao murmured. “They can't be that far gone yet.”

“Well guess what Zitao,” Minseok hissed. “It was Sehun who did this.”

Zitao jumped back like he'd been smacked and Jongdae's nails bit into Minseok's arm. “Minseok!”

Jongdae knew that Minseok was tired and angry but that had been below the belt. They had barely handled Sehun's loss of his mind- but to Zitao, who loved him and didn't know, that had been cruel to say. Minseok seemed to realise this too, because he reached out to Zitao.

“Zitao? I'm sorry- I shouldn't have said that-”

It was too late- he had fled the apartment and they could do nothing but watch him run out into the Berlin streets.

* * *

“D.O, I need you to take the others and go over to London. Maybe not now, but soon.”

D.O looked up from the stove and raised an eyebrow. “You want us to go to Europe?”

“I have a feeling that's where they are.” Suho murmured. He was seated on the living room couch, his head tilted back and his eyes closed. He looked for all the world like he was relaxing, but his words implied that he'd been using his connection to the Tree to seek out Xiumin and Chen. Suho felt someone dip into the couch beside him and opened his eyes to see Baekhyun lounging at his side, popping bits of food into his mouth.

“Europe's pretty far if they wanted to run. It's a good choice.” Baekhyun commented.

Suho hummed. “They stopped at Europe, but I can't tell where exactly. I figured we could start at London, and you could branch out to France and Germany.”

“And what about you?”

Suho smiled. “Be careful in Europe. I feel like Xiumin is… waiting for something.”

Baekhyun pursed his lips. “Why send us when you think it could be a trap?”

Suho shook his head. “Not a trap. There's nothing that can trap us anymore. It's more like there's something in Europe that Xiumin needs. A trump card, or a lifeline. I think it would be good for us to know exactly what it is he thinks can save him from us.”

“Hmm.” Baekhyun hums, before leaving Suho to mull in his thoughts again. Suho sees him going over the kitchen island to pester D.O before closing his eyes…

…and sinking.

* * *

 

There were two layers to the labyrinth.

The testing grounds, which was an actual labyrinth deep underground with high stone walls. D.O had broken one and found metal under it, thick but hollow. There was something in the walls that stopped their powers from going through and dampened them. Before they escaped they deduced it to be something like inhibitors. Later they learned that the maze was something called a Faraday cage.

The second level was above the maze, a floor of white walled labs as labyrinthine as the testing grounds. Suho remembers passing by identical walls of white and unmarked doors while they wheeled him on a gurney. He had only managed a look at these walls twice, when they took him to the labs before letting them out into the maze and after when they separated him from the others.

None of them could remember how exactly they had gotten caught. All they remembered was nearing an the suspicious area, an inconspicuous district in Seoul and the next thing they remembered they were strapped to gurneys in the labs, being prodded and examined. They figured that they'd gotten knocked out pretty roughly.

The scariest thing about that place was the fact that they, the people in the labs, seemed to know exactly what they were. They knew Chen had electrokinesis, so they'd thrown him into the stone maze first. They knew Kai needed to know where he was to safely teleport so he woke up in the maze too.

The rest had woken up in labs. Suho remembers coming around to Baekhyun screaming, Luhan yelling. _Let him go, what are you putting in him-_

Suho had opened his eyes and D.O was in the adjacent bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Then a woman in white blocked his view, reporting something a monotonous voice as she affixed an IV into his arm.

_Report, experiment 01 regained consciousness despite higher sedative dosage. Readings imply a psychic response to experiment 04's distress. Report, experiment 00 is showing similar psychic response to experiment 07's distress. Assumption, experiments 01 and 00 are main seed containers-_

The voice faded away and the next thing Suho remembers is waking up to high, black stone walls. He'd gotten up groggily, plagued by the underlying instinct to escape and ran down a corridor, only to stop short at an invisible wall.

No matter how hard he hit it, it didn't give.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHA DOUBLE UPDATE!!! 
> 
> (You guys wanted XiuChen Smut? Well it's COMING SOON.)


	10. (We were never the)Lucky Ones

  
“I don't understand. They can't have changed this much.”

The voice on the other end breaks, and Yifan hears the uneven breathing of someone trying not to cry.

“They did, Taozi. I'm sorry.”

“But- that wasn't an injury from a fight, that was being _cruel_.”

There's a frustrated sigh on the other end of the line, followed by the sounds of a person shifting. Yifan can imagine that Zitao is making this call from a street, huddled in a corner away from the crowds with warm coffee in his hand. He never touched bubble tea anymore. There was too much of Sehun in his memories, too much aching loneliness.

“I know it's hard to think of Sehun as a monster Taozi,” Yifan continues gently. “But this what the Tree does.

It corrupts.”

* * *

 

When Kris, as Yifan had been back then, reached the centre of the maze, he found that Suho was already there. The younger had just beaten him to the punch then, for his breathing was still laboured, his hair damp with sweat. Suho was staring ahead in horror and Kris followed his gaze. Was it their enemy they were staring at? Their captors?

It was worse.

(It was looking at Suho, the Eye. And Kris knew that if it turned that wretched gaze upon him, he too would stand rooted to the spot, terrified. A moment of selfishness arose, where Kris felt thankful it was looking at Suho, not at him.)

The great red pupil rose vertically from the blackened stump of what was once a massive tree, _(just like the Tree, exactly like the Tree)_ burning the air around it. The room at the centre of the maze was tinged red and thick with it's malevolent power, stuffing Kris's lungs and weighing down his breaths till he felt faint. He remembered Suho, who had stood there for who knows how long, drowning in this terror.

“Suho.” Kris choked out. “Look away.”

“I- I can't.”

 **You** , it thundered. **Thieves. You are servants of the back-stabber.**

“These aren't yours.” Kris heard Suho whisper, unsure. Doubtful of his own words.

Kris forced his numbed body to move towards Suho. The voice bore down on his senses, overloading them as his seed twitched under the gaze. Familiar, it murmured. Kris drew near enough to reach out to Suho and he did, curling his long fingers around Suho's arm. It was little in the way of comfort but Suho seemed to relax a tiny bit. Kris steadied himself and found his mind falling into Suho.

Kris couldn't help it- his seed reached out for comfort and tangled it's bonds into Suho. And beyond that, the open line he had with Tree.

 _Do not listen to it,_ the Tree whispered. There was something about it's ‘voice’ that made Kris's stomach churn- it was sickeningly sweet, but there was an underlying stench below it.

 _Like someone threw a bunch of roses over the garbage,_ Suho's faint voice filtered into his head. Kris saw him stagger back as the Eye narrowed at them and as Kris reached out to steady him he found, with much disturbance, that his own legs had turned into jelly.

 **Thief** , it rumbled into their minds. ( _Do not listen_ , the Tree's voice faded. _Do not listen to it's lies._ ) **Return my children.** _(No, you are mine.)_

“Kris!” A voice resounded into the room. “Suho!”

Kris turned, to where Lay's voice had echoed into the room from the hallways outside. Suho matched him, gazing at the doorway in confusion.

“Kris! Suho!”

He heard Xiumin and Luhan echo after Lay and his grip on Suho's arm tightened. He turned to face him and began rambling in panic.

“They're almost here. Suho, I can't explain it but-”

Suho nodded grimly. He understood, having felt the Eye as it was. “We can't let it see them. There's something wrong here.”

They moved together, in a rush, and made the mistake of reaching out towards the eye.

Kris hadn't really known what to expect. The Tree had told them tales, of a sibling tree that become corrupted but it never said anything about a giant, evil red eye. Kris hadn't really known what would happen if he threw out his powers over the Eye but he most certainly hadn't expected to black out and wake up in a box.

A long, clear box like a glass coffin.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Kris craned his neck to the side. The box was more of a rectangle, but it rose upwards from the floor so Kris had been placed in the tight space sitting upright. He saw Suho, tapping at the glass with wide eyes as he straightened and felt his bones pop. Once the haze over his head lessened though, Kris realised that Suho wasn't outside his box. He was in another box, aways from Kris.

 _Kris!_ Suho pushed into their bond. _Look down!_ Kris winced at the sudden intrusion, but he figured that if Suho was panicking there had to be a pool of sharks under their feet or something.

Kris looked down and found his situation to be much worse.

Below a thick, wide floor of clear glass, a red eye blinked up at them.

 **I will tell you my truths,** it thundered. **And you will listen.**

Kris vaguely registered Suho falling to ground before the Eye's presence flooded his head and he went down screaming.

 

I͈̠ͯ̓̃̇͆͞ţ̠̼͍̘͉ͤ̌ ̣̣̫̦̗̳͙̉̔̽̈́ͬͫͥa̻͉̞ͤn͈̼̗̬͎͇̎͛ͣͤͭ̍͟d̞̏͂ͣͭ̌́ ̗̩̤̭̪͙̝̂y͚̭̙̗̘͑͑̅ͬo̰̮̜̮̘̜̯̓̈u͋́ͦͤͮ̒͡,̷̝͗̃̏ͨͩ͒̓ ̽̀ͣ͡n͇̫̰̆ͣ̚͠o̝̞̟̭͓͌ ̦̖̻̖̭̒̽̑͒̽̂̽̀i̡͍̫̳ͭ͛t̓ͬ̅̽͗̔͞,̣͇̼̝̟ ̵̪͕͖͈͉͙͕ͭ͂͂͐͂H͉̯͓ͩͣ͌͌ͮ̊̚E̮͎̼̝̐͊ͪ,̴͇̫̤͔͉̦̬̇ͩ̚ ̼̫s̟͚̫͖͎͓̮̽͢t̖̺̫͈͂̓̈́o̳̲̪͚̥ͣ͂̈̀̓l͉͇̝͎̕e̡͇̭͉̼̦̖ͨ ̸̻͍̥̥̃̀̿ͣṁͥ͏̤̞̳͎̰ẏ̠̩̋̓̀ ̜͇̭͙̥̝̤̄̏ͫ̓ͩ̊͌͠c͍͎̰͔̘̲͉ḥ̱̬͎̙ͅi͙̙̭̮̦ͮl҉͙̗͍d̨͙͔͍̗͚̙̞ȓ̇̏e̮̯͕ͤ̀̽́n̷̗̲̮͚̰͉ͧ͌͒ͅ ̛̣̟̭̜͙͇f̪ͥ͗o̴̘̻̣̫̥̹ͯ͂̓̌̃r̆̏̎̇ͮ͋ ̮͉̳͍̆̌͗͞G̣̰ͤ͆͠R̜̰͎̟̰̤ͮ̀̽Ẹ͕̜̪͌ͮ̃ͣ̿̃̂E͚ͤD̶̄̍̔̃ͪͨ,̸̼̱̩̦͌͗ͮ ͋ͯ̔̎ͭ̄a̢̹̲̼̝̣͍ ̠̺̞ͤ̒̏̒B̨͔͚̣A̸̳ͣ̊̏͑̈́C̭̞͕̀̕K̥̼̻̖̜͓̍S͑̎ͯ͗́T̞͍͉͇̞ͨ̈́Aͧ̓̎ͮ̄̎B̠͕͇̫͉̫̎͜B̛̖̣̟͈̮̠͌Ē̥̞̼͇̼͉ͅR̫̞̻̲̟̖̓̐,̵͐ ̗͉͙̞̒͒͛ͨ̌ͧo͛ͭ̀n͔̲͟ț̾̅͂o̩͘ ̯̗̥̠̭̰͒Y̺̥̪͉̙̼̠̍̆͆̌O̙͙̱̝̠̦͎ͫ̿̎U҉̫̬̫̲̼̻ ̸͇̆ͯ̉ͭͫ̓̉h̗͙͉̜̦̥̿͆ȅ̹̝̗̼ͬ̋͒́̀̚ ̬̓̈̿̈̋̃ͥ͠ͅh̛̹̦ͬ͐͐̆̚a̷̤͇̝͍̺̯̹ͨs͙̫̱̙̖̝͔͑̈́ͭ̚ h͓͗̋͂͌i̭̣̜̻̲͙ͅd̢̘͚̗͋͊ͯd̶ͪ̐̔ḙ̟ͫ̈́̆̿́n̡̩̬͉̅̽ ̮̗̠͚̳̗͆̉̆m͔̯̃ͫ̇͛ͭ͆͝y̭̬̝̼͕̼͈ͩ͛ͧ̋ͨ̾̄ ͉̠̊̐̑ͧͣ̈́ͯ̀C̢̱͆H̼̲͕̝̯̥̤̄ͨ̋Iͥͮ҉̮͉̰ͅL̓̒́̊͆̉Ḓ͕̪̀̓ͥ͌͋́R͎̥͚̳͘ͅẼ̝̲͔͗̎N̾͆ͨͥ͏̮̯̟, ̥͓͉̺͍̺̳ͭͪ̃͌͜I̴͎̺͉͚̅͂ͧ̏ ̕ͅͅw̭̐͗̂̎̔̉̆a̰͎͂ͬ̓̌s̹̖͇̉́ ̬̮̉̔̀̅͑͂͡C̸̦͚A̢̼̤ͪ͑ͬ̃̀R̛̮̰̺̟̮ͪ̀ͯ̇̄͑̐E̟ͫ͑̀͢L̻͓̹̠̖̜ͥ͒̌̉Ḛ̹̣̥̥͙̾̎ͧ͆ͅS̳͕ͩͪ̿͞S̝̩ͪ̃͛̈,͙̜̩̜̟͙̎ ͎̯̬̄̃͞w̦̜͓̹͖̓͘ȇ̼̰̘̖́ ̊̿̄ͮ͏̲͇̖ẁ͖̳ͪͩ̀e̡r̶̿̆͋̇́ͨ̚e̺̫̻͖ͨ̃ͭ̈́ͣ͊͞ ͔̻̱̙̄͋͗̄͛͞m̰͔̻̻̬̟̏ͮ̔e͓͛ͧ̐̓͋̑̈́a̸͇͈̮͚͓̦̝ͣ̀̅̈́n̝ͨͫ̊̓̒̔̈́͞t͉̬̜̦͍̭͎͊ͨ͐ ͋͆͋ͭͧ̉҉t̷̖͊͋o͎ͮ̋̌̏ͣͥ͗ ̷̼͙͕̀̈́ͤ͑̉ͯ̾b̨̭͉͙͛ͬe͈͌̒ͣ͊̇̑̚ ͈̭̩̪̥͔ͮ͆̓͌͠t̃̈w̷i̺̺ñ̸ ̶̺̻̥̫̘̩̱͐ͣ͆ͫ̒G̗͍͓͇͔̮ͭ̂ͩO̩̠̞̳̺̺ͨ̽̒̓́D̪̱͖̯̏̃͒͛̎S͔̥͈̜̹͓̙͆̒̉,̵̻̺͇̠̝ͧ̔̓̽̿ ͇͎rͬ͊͆͗̍u͎̥͙͉̓̅̔̅̽͑̃l̦͖͒̋ͮ̅ͅi͎̤̗̬̍ͣ̒n̦̻̍̌̿̃͐͛ͅgͪ͑͠ ̗͕̼̅̒ͣ̈́̊̊̈̕t͎͗́ͮͫͪ̀ͧ͢o̔̿̏̏̈̚͏͙̺͕̪̭̭̻gͫ̏ͣ́ͤ̂͊ě̱͍̹͕̝̞͠ͅt̯̮͇͎̼͘h̍e̷̙̥͈͓͈̞̰ͥr̩͉̟ͯ̌ͥ̄̑͊̽ ̼̞̻̠̤̤̓̍́̚o̧̼͚̭̒̐̚v̹̤̱͔̄͋̔ͪͥe̡͙̪r̪͎̭̩̎ͤͦ ̭͎͎̤̪̂̈́ͥͣ͊̊t̻̤͖̬̖̥ͪ͛̈̊̊ͤw̜̺ŏ̡͖͙̘͕̬ͪ̐̋ ̟͐͛̍͐̃Ẁ͍̙̫͈͑́̅Ō̞͓̖̺ͯ͊R̂̊̆́́́̉͏͉̼͔̰͉Ĺ̝͖̙̗̈̑̊͟D̴̹̥͚̔S̴͙̼̗͈̮̈̍,̬͎̥̮͉ ̰̻̰̖͉͚ͅa̯̹̗͎̬̼͋ ͭ̎̿̒ͫ̌̈͜F̻͆̏̍Ă͎͕͙̰ͩ͆I͚͖̮͇ͅR̅̏͒̇͋҉̳͉ ̡̫̪͇̪̇ͥͨ͆̃ͯd̙̻̫̯͇̽̐̓ͤ̓̚ͅë͓̩͉͗̔a͎͚͍̮̩̥l̟̗̮̣͎ ͎͙̺͎̪̳̠̉ͦͫ͢l̤̼̓̂̈́e͎̯̠̱̩ͥ͗̎ͦ͗͟f͔̠̱̾͆͐́̓t͍̜̳̞̑ͪ ̫̫̜̘̳̏̒̽̌b̬̹̼̺͉̓ȑ̶͖̹ͯ̈ō̹̹̭̰̜͇̣͐̂̆͂͊ͨk̰͔̻̻̬ẽ͚̻̥̾n̹̟̘̼̺͂̀ ̗̆̆ͧ̔w̩̗͔͕ͥ̽̀͑ͨ̑̈h̦̦͍̮̅͠e̢͓n͉̘̠̗̜͙͑̐̈̄͋͛ͫ ͔͉̰ͦ͂ͣͩ̊͝h̻̤̬̦̞̥ͮ̌ͨͦe̷̎ͪ̒ ̫̠ͦ̓ͅs̙̥͉̪̺͌̊̓͌̂͘t͓̻̟̰͖̰͋o̜̱̗̝̳̿ͫͨl̖̗̯̯̫̤ͪͦe̾ͨͦ͢ ̱̘͎͇̌̓͌͝ͅm͈͓͚̬͇̹̀ÿ̖̝̖̰̼̫́́̈́͡ ͙̥͉͖ͦ͊̎̈ͅcͤ͒͏̝̩͔͓̤̘h̡̤̠͖͍̤ͧͩ̌̽̈́i͈͎̖͔̰̜ͪ̐ͬͫ̂ͥ̚l̸̯̳͇̞͎͙̼̏̽d̷̻̼͔̞̒ͫ͆ṙ̸̮͆ͨȅ͍̜̅͑ͯ͐n̫͢,̠͂͂͝ ̝̣̥̇ͬ̓̓ͯT̲̼̦͍̯ͮͣ͐ͭ̉ͅh̷͗ͤͯ͑é̜̙̱͕͕̊͂̍͒͊ ̻͚̘ͅD̫̻ͨ̓̐͊̀ŗ̗̫̜̒͒́̚ȅ̡̠̰ͭͨͤa̷̤̪̭̣̩ͨ̈́̅́m̧̰̤̬̲̂̅͂ͫͧ̚ͅ,̷ ̝̟͓̞͕̄̎ͨ̽T̜͗̈́͐ͧh̺̩̣̝̼̲͓̀̉͊͋ḛ̰̰͍͆̎̃͑ ͥ̀W̪̯̺̝̙̤͂͠a͈ͩ̈̓̐̑͐̚r̮̹̋͒m̲̖͕̀t̸̬̺̞͎͙̻̏̈́̓͒ͧ̔́ḧ̺̙̥͎͔͘,̜̺̳̹̲͔̤̌̋͑̈́ ͕̰̘͈̼ͫ͊̿̓̆ͤT̛̲̮̫̞ͦͥ̿͊͌h̟̭̱̃̚ė̻̮̤̹̫̎ͨ͘ ̵͚̼̞̠͙̌̄̊ͤ̈Ţ̤͈̏̆̐e̟̖̬ͣ̃̈ͫ̌n̘̪ͪ̿̾̄a͉̤̎̈ͨͦ̐̿̈̀ͅç̇ͯͤ̒̔iͪͥ̏͐ͣͪͬo͖̮̣͠u̳̪̣ͯ̾͆ͬͅs̰̾̕,͉̜̫̑ ͩ̓ͮ̑͆T̠̠̬h̢͉̫e͎͓̜̹̝͊͊̈̎̍ͩ͂ ̬̤͉̪̣̺͛́ͧṮ͓͍̪ͫ̽ͭ̂͟ǐ̷̠̳͇̺̌̆ͭ̽̑ͯm͇̻̼̃̂̓E

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: They Never Know arc (YOUR SMUT ARC IS ON THE WAY)


	11. They Never Know (how far we'd go for them)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE BE SMUT and angst. ;)  
> I edited the Lucky One arc so if you're interested, pop back and read those. Next chapter: XIUCHEN

Lay squinted through the dried crusts of blood ringing his eyes, checking his vision. Sehun had been quite fascinated with his eyeballs earlier, and those had taken a while to grow back. Lay made out the hazy outline of the hand he was holding out in front of his face and folded down one finger.

“Eight.” He whispered hoarsely to the dim room.

“What are you going to do when you run out of fingers?” Suho asked, reaching out to flick away part of the blood tipped fringe. Lay's eyes flickered to where he perched on the edge of the bed, a hazy figure in dark colours.

“I suppose,” Lay rasped. “I'll count my toes.”

Lay didn't have to have perfect eyesight to know that Suho had one of his customary smiles on, soft with a little bit of Junmyeon poking out. People always found it easy to trust that smile. (People found it easy to trust Junmyeon.)

“Do you want a bath?” Suho asked politely. Lay bit down on his lip, but he found his mouth being wrenched open soon after. “I'm being nice Lay.” Suho murmured lowly. “Do you want a bath?”

Suho took his fingers out of Lay's mouth and waited patiently as the man worked his jaw back into function.

“Alright.”

“Hmm?”

“I'd like a bath… please.”

Suho beamed at him and ripped off the covers to scoop him up. Lay yelped as the cold air hit his tender skin, the open wounds from Sehun's roughhousing healed but still pink and sensitive. There was also the matter of the blood that had stayed damp under the blanket, and of course, the semen. Lay shuddered in Suho's arms and it took an impressive amount of strength to hold on to his dignity and not curl into the older man's chest.

Lay heard the sudden rush of water flowing into the tub as they entered the bathroom, to large an amount to have come from a tap. Suho used his powers then, plucking out molecules from the air as he pleased. He leant over his luxuriously large tub and let go of Lay.

The water was surprisingly warm, and Lay's muscles involuntarily relaxed as a sank into the tub. His exhaustion suddenly became more prominent and Lay fought the urge to close his eyes as the water unnaturally lapped at him, cleaning him. He forced his gaze to meet Suho's ambient smile and carefully breathed out.

“You want something Suho. What is it?”

“Hmm.” Suho cocked his head. “I want you to give up.”

Lay closed his eyes and Suho sighed. “I won't be good for you to keep fighting like this Lay.” He lowered a hand to the pale. Bared chest and circled his finger over Lay's heart. “If the Tree takes you over forcefully, you'll lose ‘Yixing’.”

Lay opened his eyes and smiled sadly at Suho. “I'm sorry Junmyeon. I'm sorry we lost you to it.”

Suho's finger stopped circling and he looked down. He seemed bare, more vulnerable than before. Lay knew that this was what little was left of Junmyeon, the person he was before the Tree took over, he was seeing. This was what made it hard for Lay to hate Suho. Somewhere in there, Junmyeon rested and it was Lay's fault he was behind those walls.

Lay reached out a wet hand and held his face gently. “I don't think I will ever be sorry enough for being too late.”

* * *

 Lay ran into Luhan at the entrance, a pale figure on unsteady feet, Xiumin close behind him.

“Luhan? What happened?” Xiumin yelled, but he need not have; as soon as they reached the door to the centre of the maze the overwhelming sense of maliciousness struck them, sending them to their knees. They had blacked out, woken in labs with white walls and emotionless women staring at them. They found themselves unrestrained and had run out, getting lost in endless hallways where more doll-women lingered at every corner, unblinking through their red visors. They had all ended up searching for Kris and Suho and converged here, at the entrance to an unusual room.

“It's the Eye. It's the corrupted one the Tree told us about.” Luhan whispered in fear, his gaze affixed towards the room. Lay wanted to tell him to look away, but he could barely catch his breath and Luhan did not seem to be entirely in control of himself.

“Kris and Suho are in there.” Luhan gasped out and Lay felt his heart stop.

“Lay, wait!”

He registered Xiumin yelling at him, but he couldn't understand the words. He knew he had forced himself to his feet and pushed past a shocked Luhan, but he didn't remember entering the room. He blinked, and the next thing he knew he was staring through a glass wall at Kris.

Kris, who was slumped over, pale and unmoving.

“Luhan.” Lay wheezed. “Luhan, help.”

His movement had sparked something in the other two, and no sooner than he called for him Luhan was there, pressing his hands into the glass as Xiumin pulled Lay back.

The glass cracked and whisked themselves away, leaving Kris to slump past the metal frame of his box as Lay and Xiumin rushed towards him.

Lay clambered over Kris and pressed two fingers into his pulse. “Kris?” He didn't move. Lay pushed his powers into him and raised his voice slightly. “Yifan!”

Kris groaned and shifted sluggishly. As he shifted, Lay became aware of the blood steadily trickling from his mouth, his nose, his eyes and his ears. He heard Luhan gasp, and mind-numbing horror settled in his gut as he blanketed Kris with his powers.

“What's wrong with him?” Luhan asked fearfully.

“I don't know.” Lay cried. “My powers can't find anything physically wrong with him.”

Kris's hand snapped out and Lay jumped. He looked down at glazed dark eyes and watched him struggle to breathe out.

“Suho.” Kris coughed.

Lay blinked. “What?”

“It's got Suho.” Kris gasped, and he keened, an unnatural sound of pain as his eyes scrunched shut and he curled in pain.

“Lay! Lay something's-”

Lay looked up at Luhan's yelling to see Xiumin slump over, another glass box before him. Lay caught sight of Suho's image- painfully pale and sinisterly aglow- in the box and he knew, as his vision began to fade, that everything was wrong.

* * *

 Lay clung on to Junmyeon as he laid him gently down on the bed, his eyes shadowed with grief. It was the pain and emotion in his eyes that made him Junmyeon and not Suho, who gazed out over seas of blood without a twitch. Lay learned to tell the difference, to know when the Tree was resting and Junmyeon could momentarily escape its control.

“Yixing.” He murmured against Lay's ear as he settled him into the bed. “Please, while I'm awake, be Yixing.”

Lay shuddered and pulled Junmyeon closer as he shed the mental barriers between ‘before the Tree’ and ‘after’. It felt like shedding soiled clothes, in all honesty.

“Okay, Junmyeon.” Yixing breathed as he circled his bare arms around Junmyeon's neck. “Come here.”

Slowly, tentatively, Junmyeon pressed his lips into Yixing's, opening his mouth to breathe unspoken apologies into the abused man. His healing hadn't managed to catch up with the torture- there were still purple bruises ringing his hips, his neck, his arms. But Junmyeon knew that beneath his skin Yixing's powers were working overtime on bones and organs.

“No Junmyeon. Focus on me.”

Junmyeon broke away, breathed out and his hands found Yixing's hips. His skin was soft, and his fingers dipped in easily into the pale canvas. He steadied himself on his hands and lowered his own hips, pressing down his weight. Yixing moaned, voice still raw from screaming.

Junmyeon tentatively started the kiss, still unsure, still guilty and Yixing sighed. He moved his hands up to thread his fingers into Junmyeon's hair and when he pulled away, Yixing pushed Junmyeon down into the crook of his neck, whispering softly into his ear.

“It's okay Junmyeon. Let go.”

He felt Junmyeon relax and Yixing nuzzled into his jawline, moving down to mouth at his pulse, sucking lightly as he canted his hips upwards. He heard a heavy groan, and his head felt heavy under the lust.

Yixing felt Junmyeon's hands tighten and relax, sliding upwards to curl around Yixing's biceps. Yixing pulled his lips off Junmyeon's marked skin with a pop and hummed into his jugular, feeling the low moan vibrate through his lips.

“Quickly, Yixing.” Junmyeon whispered. “Before Suho comes back.”

Yixing breathed out with a shudder. “Okay. Give me these.” He said, hooking his fingers into Junmyeon's waistband and tugging his pants and underwear down, just enough for his dick to spring free. The heady scent of sex reached him now, and Yixing pulled Junmyeon down to brush their bare cocks against each other.

It sent spikes of sensation up their bodies- Junmyeon groaned as the blood rushed down, sending him from half-hard to leaking. Yixing smiled and sighed softly as Junmyeon leant down to rest his forehead on Yixing's.

Yixing moved his hands to fondle at Junmyeon's balls, kissing him and letting him moan into his mouth. They'd done this before, when they were freshly twelve and enamoured with their other halves. Sex had been a way to bond, a way to peek into each other. Of course, it was also chasing pleasure for twelve, hormonal young men.

It was minutes of slow rubs after that, trying to re-locate all the secrets they had forgotten about each other, trying to remember how to be gentle. It was harder for Junmyeon, but Yixing was here catch him, to take care of him.

Once he felt Junmyeon was hard enough, Yixing removed his hands and steadied Junmyeon's shaking hips. Junmyeon broke the kiss to look down at Yixing with dazed eyes, breathing heavily.

“I'm gonna go faster now okay?” Yixing murmured, and he jerked up sharply. Junmyeon stuttered and gasped, rolling his hips to seek out the friction. Yixing groaned and he barely managed a coherent thought as he reached down to fist their cocks together. He felt Junmyeon's fingers fumble around his, mirroring Yixing's movement, and he kissed Junmyeon lightly.

“Together?” Yixing asked, moving his fist slowly and moaning. Junmyeon nodded and moved his hand in tandem to Yixing's. They went slowly, and they were wired enough that soon Yixing had cum splattering up his chest and abdomen.

Junmyeon's rocking slowed as he bottomed out, his skin glistening with sweat. Yixing watched his eyelashes flutter, the collar of shirt sliding to reveal firm muscle Yixing recalls once running fingers over. He has always thought the boys were beautiful, each in their own. Junmyeon has his kind face, his firm body.

“Yixing?”

“Yes, Junmyeon?”

“I'm sorry.” He said, leaning down for one last kiss on Yixing's forehead. “I can't stop Suho.”

Yixing smiled, a bittersweet twist of his lips, and closed his eyes. As he tangles his fingers into his hair, he sighed. “I know. I've got it Junmyeon.”

Junmyeon furrowed his brows in confusion and drew back. “Yixing? What are you talking about?”

He looked down and saw the odd smile, the glow of Yixing's powers and jerked back.

“No, Yixing, stop, you can't fight Suho-”

Yixing forced his way into their bond, and the last thing he felt was Junmyeon's tears falling warm on his face.

* * *

  _Face me._

**You insolent child! I gave you your powers, I took you from the other, I have you a better life, I let you be reborn into my world!**

_Let them go._

**I SHALL NOT-**


	12. They Never Know (what they've done)

Two years ago in Barcelona Tao lay dying in the ruins of a cafe as Sehun ran away from him.

It was morning, close to noon, and there were people outside screaming about bombs and terrorists. They were mistaken, Tao thought. It was the wind that did this, not the fire. The wind had turned sharp and cold, heavy and wrathful. It had ripped into the walls, leaving deep gouges like an enraged beast. It had blown across the room, leaving chaos in its wake. It had struck Tao in the chest, and he had been lain upon the ground dazed and numb.

Tao remembers the blurry wash of noon-light setting his attacker aglow, a slim figure hunched over him. He was always so thin, so lanky and pale from his powder soft skin to his translucent hair. Tao once called him the prettiest ghost he'd ever seen.

The cacophony of voices outside the cafe seemed so distant, drowned out the soft crying of his should be killer.

_“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I can't kill you-”_

Tao will forever remember the haunting wetness of tears on his face, still so cool even after Sehun was long gone. Even as his senses faded and his vision tunnelled, Sehun's tears remained a blinding flash of fire on his skin. It ate away at Tao's memories of nights spent trailing kisses over sharp bones and spidery fingers trailing over his bronze skin, little pecks in shadowed corners and the smiles that outshone the summer sun.

Nothing hurt more than the pain of those memories slipping away.

“Stop.” Tao choked out. He strained to focus on the fallen face of a wall clock, rounded silver and marked in black, and asked again. _“Stop.”_

The stuttering hands of the clock obeyed and Tao's memories froze.

Tao looked down at the blood, creeping across a carpet of splintered wood and glass shards, and demanded the same thing of it.

“Stop.”

Abruptly, the blood halted its advance.

Tao breathed in deeply, coughing and shaking as he made his last demand.

“Turn back.”

Slowly, much too slowly, the blood began peeling backwards, leaving shattered tiles grey with dust and retreated into Tao's body slothfully.

Tao could not erase the pain or heal the wounds, but he could make his body forget the worst of the damage, pretend it never happened. His mind would be confused and he would be haunted by phantom pains, but he would not die. Not yet.

He had to tell Sehun first. _He had to tell Sehun that he-_

* * *

 

Tao awoke to the sharp twang of coffee, a scent that chased away the musky odour of the rundown apartment. Minseok, Tao thought as he strained his mind to wake, to face the sun and scream profanity into its absurdly bright visage.

“Morning, Panda.”

Tao sighed and turned to bury himself into the pillows.

“F'ck the s'n.” He mumbled.

Tao heard Jongdae laugh, a wonderfully bright and loud sound that reminded him of a time where six people wandered about in Beijing and drowned in new years crowds of red and gold.

It nearly brought him to tears, to remember that they were once so happy. (And together.)

Tao peaked out from his nest to see Jongdae waiting patiently by his side, a thumb absently tracing the rim of a plastic cup of coffee. (Minseok had stolen the coffee. The cups had been the product of many raids throughout the abandoned complex.)

Tao blankly stared out at Jongdae, and the elder remembered enough to know just what kind of stare it was. He laughed, and shifted to get up.

“Don't worry Taozi, Minseok left a kettle full in the kitchen. I'll-”

“I'll get it,” Tao said as he threw himself off the bed. Jongdae sighed and looked at him dryly.

“You and Minseok. I'm not invalid you know.”

Tao snorted as stumbled away from the couch he'd slept on. “You're job is to bully the youngest brother. I'm the youngest brother, so right now I'm just fetching the coffee because you're being a mean old dinosaur.”

“Don't complain when I bully you later!”

Tao smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. “I won't! But you have to do something for me first.”

“Shoot.”

“Tell me what happened to Sehun.”

Jongdae looked up, and Tao was staring back at him, his smile forced and his face pale.

“Please, Jongdae. I need to know.”

Jongdae took in the haunted look in his eyes and sagged. He set down his cup and bit his lip. “Okay. But you're not going to like it. It was the Tree.”

* * *

 

Chen stood behind Kai, watching the scene unfold in horror.

“What's wrong with him?” Kai whispered, and Chen barely heard the question over the screams.

“It- it looks like a seizure,” Chen mumbled. Kai scoffed. “He looks like he's possessed.”

On the ground of an abandoned warehouse in Marseilles, Sehun was screaming on the floor. Suho and Baekhyun were pinning down his arms, Chanyeol and Xiumin on his legs, and despite Sehun's thin frame the wildness of his movements were giving the four considerable trouble.

“Sehun? Sehun can you hear me?”

Lay had the aerokinetic's head between his palm, the soft light of his healing powers being visibly rebuffed from Sehun's form.

“D.O!” Baekhyun yelled. “Where the fuck are those sedatives?!”

Sehun arced upwards, his body bending unnaturally and somehow, screamed louder. He almost broke Suho and Baekhyun's hold, but they were half-lying on top of Sehun's arms at this point. Lay had also given up on trying to his powers and was forcing Sehun's jaw open, trying to stop him from choking on his tongue.

Chen jumped when D.O reappeared, brushing past him to plunge a syringe in Sehun's neck.

“Is that safe?” Chen asked in worry . He was ignored- but it eased him to see Sehun's erratic movements slow and pause, a bit of consciousness returns to his eyes.

“Tao.” Is the first thing Sehun gasps. The next words he chokes out are- “The Tree, the Tree.”

No one knows what to make of this. They're all looking at Suho, expecting him to do something because this isn't supposed to happen. They can't get hurt. (They're not supposed to get hurt. The Tree promised.)

“Sehun?” Suho gently lifts his head, turning it so Sehun's no-doubt blurry vision knows where to focus. “Sehun? Tao didn't come back with you. What happened?”

Sehun reached up, grabbed Suho around him and sank his teeth into Suho's shoulder.

* * *

 

Jongdae heard Tao splutter and drop his cup on the floor. He hadn't looked up yet, hadn't gathered the courage to him in the eye.

“He did what?”

Jongdae cringed as he recalled more memories. “He was completely berserk for a few days. Nobody like it, but we ended up locking him in his room. He calmed down after a while but be was never really coherent- we thought it was because- because he killed you. That was what he was saying, that the Tree told him to kill you and he did.”

Tao was quiet for a while, cleaning up the mess from his dropped cup.

“He did.”

“What?”

“He did try to kill me,” Tao whispered. “He almost did.”

Tao went quiet again, and Jongdae struggled to fill in the silence.

“I'm sorry,” Jongdae said.

“I'm sorry too.” Tao murmured.

* * *

 

Sehun dreams about the past.

He dreams about a labyrinth, a sunny day in Edinburgh, a flash of sharp eyes, and a Tree.

 _Kill him,_ the Tree had said.

 _No_ , Sehun had replied, but the wind had moved on his own and the blood had already coated his hands.

 _Forget_ , the Tree urged and Sehun was scared to find that everything was slipping away.

 _Break_ , the Tree commanded and Sehun-

Who was Sehun, again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, school is full strength. Big exams in a month. (To all Singaporeans, it's O'Level time. You know the feel right?)
> 
> I SWEAR next chapter is XiuChen smut I SWEAR


	13. They Never Know(, but maybe if I told them…)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HERE'S YOUR XIUCHEN SMUT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN IM SORRY ITS BAD

Jongdae liked watching Minseok sleep.

Minseok's beautiful, but he never admits it, always turns away shyly when Jongdae calls him out. His hair is so soft, perfectly falling across his face, sticking up adorably to form a mess of bed-head Jongdae will probably nuzzle into later, breathing the frosty, musky scent of Minseok. His hair, dyed in cheap brown to cover up the shocking blonde it was when they were still with Suho, glowed in the dawn light. It framed Minseok's pretty face of supple outlines and sharp details.

Jongdae wanted to lean forward and kiss his pale lips, and that's what he did. They're cold, as every bit of Minseok usually was, but freshly cold like the sharp morning air that fills your lungs and wakes your brain.

Jongdae's kiss is more of a quick peck, a contented sigh, but Minseok has always been the early bird, the light sleeper. He stirred and Jongdae thought it would be nice for him to be the one carding his fingers through Minseok's hair in comfort for once, instead of the other way around.

“Hey,” Jongdae whispered. “Did I wake you? Sorry.”

Minseok smiled sleepily through half-lidded eyes. “I don't mind waking up to you.”

Jongdae scrunched his nose. “You better not, Romeo. You're stuck with me forever.”

Minseok chuckled and leant forward to return the peck with a kiss that turned dark with want, heavy with bottled up lust. Jongdae moaned into the connection, pulling closer.

Then suddenly Minseok's presence is gone.

“Minseok!” Jongdae hissed because at this point he's had enough of this. “Stop that!”

Minseok looked like a kicked puppy, and Jongdae would have taken his harshness back if he hadn't proceeded to tell him he wasn't healed yet.

“I'm almost fully healed Minseok. We're not human, don't put their limits on me. Also, I'll heal faster if I bonded with my bonded, which as I seem to recall, was you.” Jongdae huffs and Minseok's looks at him with a humoured apology.

“Is. I'm still your bonded.”

“Wow really? I can barely tell.” Jongdae murmured and he moved to get out of bed, because if Minseok wants to be an idiot he can be an idiot without Jongdae.

There's a long, suffering sigh from behind him. “Jongdae.”

Minseok's arms reached out to tug him back and Jongdae stubbornly turned away, a struggle with just one arm. He got pulled up and tucked under Minseok's chin, his back flat against Minseok's chest.

“Is this about Luhan?” Jongdae asked quietly. He felt Minseok tense and his heart dropped. “If it's about- what you had with Luhan, you can just tell me and I'll go.”

It was a painful two seconds of silence, whereby every insecurity Jongdae had buried came back up and battered themselves against his mind. He knew he wasn't enough. He'd always be in second place, a piece of silver to Luhan's gold. _Minseok hadn't chosen him after all-_

The two seconds ended, and Jongdae found himself being flipped onto his back.

He flailed as he landed on the bed, his remaining arm grasping at Minseok's shoulder as his feet sought out balance. He ended up with Minseok's arms bracketing his head, looking up at the elder's devastated expression.

“No,” Minseok growled. “Don't you ever think like that again. I chose you, I chose _Kim Jongdae._ This is _not_ about Luhan, and this will _never_ be about Luhan.”

Then his eyes soften and Minseok leant down to kiss at Jongdae's trembling lips.

“I love you, and just you.”

Jongdae's grip on his shoulder tighten.

“Then for the love of god Minseok, _fuck me._ ”

Minseok grinned but it was a wry grin.

“If you bring up my well-healed injuries again I will flip you over and sit on your dick.”

Minseok grinned.

“Is that a challenge?” He asked as he lowered his body and ran a hand down Jongdae's side.

Jongdae growled. “ _Minseok_.”

* * *

 “ _Minseok_.” Jongdae gasped, and he could've sworn he felt the headboard crack under his fingers. “Minseok, _harder_.”

Jongdae felt a cold breath ghost the back of his neck as Minseok grunted, bent over Jongdae as he was. Minseok was slowing, and Jongdae started to whine, until he felt his hips being slightly lifted and Minseok came back with greater force, with a much better angle in Jongdae's opinion.

“Oh, yes. _Oh_. Minseok-”

Minseok had blocked everything that wasn't Jongdae at that point. The only thing he could hear was Jongade moaning. The only thing he could feel was the tightness enveloping his dick. The only thing he could see was Jongdae writhing under him in naked bliss.

“Gonna come in you.” Minseok panted. “Gonna _fill you_.”

Jongdae groaned lowly. “Yes, yes, come in me-”

Minseok set Jongdae down into a more comfortable position, a vestige of awareness still lingering. He would ache later, no matter how good he was feeling now. Minseok closed a loose fist around Jongdae's hard, leaking cock and thrust forward.

“Minseok!” Jongdae cried out as he came onto the sheets, and it took a few more thrusts for Minseok to follow after. They ended up flopping on the mess they'd made, to sated to mind the thick scent of sex in the room.

“Can we go again?” Jongdae asked after he'd caught his breath.

“Jongdae!”

* * *

Zitao leant back and stretched his arms back. The cold back of the park bench dug into his spine, but the cool air was a wonderful respite from the apartment's heat and loud sex noises.

“Sure,” Zitao murmured. “Jump at each other while I'm right in the next room.”

Zitao had fled the building the moment Jongdae's moans got loud enough to filter through the walls clearly. While it was nice that the sexual tension Zitao had endured for the past week was getting aired out, they could have warned him.

Zitao sighed and leant back with his eyes closed. It wasn't really his place to comment, though, considering the outrageous things he used to do with Sehun.

“Love problems, Taozi?”

Zitao's eyes snapped open and he was greeted by the backlit visage of a feminine man.

_“Lu-gē?”_

* * *

 Yifan looked down at the thriving expanse of Seoul and tried not to wince.

He used to live here, making precious small moments with people he loved. But his memories of Junmyeon's smile are overlaid with the cold terror that shone through his eyes back at the labyrinth, and Yixing's sweet laughs are buried under the cries of betrayal that had followed him out the door when he walked out in Hong Kong.

Be it as it may, there was no getting back the past. He could only salvage what he could and move on.

“Where the hell are you Yixing?” Yifan murmured, and he stepped off the tip of N Seoul Tower.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More smut???? Send in a pairing for the last smut chaper mates. 
> 
> Also, a public service anouncement:
> 
> LIPSTICK CHATEAU WINE COLOR


	14. They Never Know

Yixing looked out at the void, terrifyingly blank, and the longer he looked the more features came to it until Yixing was no longer looking at an expanse of nothing, but a desolate landscape softly lit by an unseen sun.

 _It would break your little mortal mind to star directly at the void_ , Lay whispered from the back of his mind.

“I see. Is that why I have a body right now?” Yixing asked as he tested his imaginary arms. He was in a simple black outfit, somewhat resembling a suit. He couldn't feel the fabric, though, or the temperature.

 _Yes, that's right,_ Lay hummed.

Yixing faced the void once again. He could not see the Tree of Life, but it was most definitely here. And if was here…

“Lay, could you show me the way to the Red Eye?”

* * *

Suho massaged at his temples, trying to fight the headache he could feel coming.

“Amazing,” Suho muttered. “He basically committed suicide.”

Of to the side, D.O hummed in agreement. “I find it odd that Lay would attack the tree using his most vulnerable form. Then again, physically attacking the tree is impossible.”

Suho drummed his fingers against the clear lid of the coffin. Below the surface, Lay's pallid face was nested by roses.

“Baekhyun's touch?” D.O had asked upon seeing the coffin.

“Baekhyun's touch,” Suho affirmed, running his eyes down the white suit Lay had been put in, jarringly bright against the bed of dark roses. “His power's are subconsciously keeping the decorations alive. It's useful for telling if he's dead I suppose.”

D.O nodded and came up to Suho, appraising his lover's work. “What shall we do with him now? Lay's nothing but a shell in this state.”

Suho moved away to the windows, and D.O followed obediently. He lifted the heavy curtains slightly, and the nightlife of Seoul sparkled brightly on the streets outside.

“We're having a visitor. Baekhyun has made Lay into an apt gift as it is.”

D.O narrowed his eyes. “A visitor, Suho?”

“You will leave for Europe in the morning before he comes,” Suho said dismissively. “I want to deal with this… issue.”

D.O bit back his retort and nodded, before turning to leave.

“Enjoy your trip.”

The doors to Suho's antechamber silently swung shut, and Suho left Lay to enter his main room.

As he entered, he flicked on a lamp, bright enough to illuminate the bed but not bright enough to wake the person asleep on it. Suho smiled when the curled figure stirred regardless and quickly shed his shoes. He sat on the age of the bed and rested his hand on Sehun's hair, petting him lightly.

“What did you dream about, Hunnie?” Suho inquired with a smile. Sehun blinked up at him sleepily and turned his head to nuzzle at his hand.

“A field. With a butterfly in it.” Sehun murmured. “An orange butterfly. And there was a boy in the field…”

Suho eased closer to Sehun and lifted his head onto his lap. “Was there anything else?”

Sehun looked up at Suho with unfocused eyes. “Something was wrong… there was a hurricane? And he was stuck…”

Sehun whimpered and Suho rubbed his head soothingly. “It's just a dream Sehunnie.”

Sehun's eyes slid closed and he sighed, turning his body to curl around Suho. Suho let Sehun's hair slide under his fingers and moved his hands down to rub circles into Sehun's back.

“You'll be leaving without me in the morning,” Suho murmurs to the boy. “Do you want a goodbye kiss?”

Sehun blinks into full awareness and surges up quickly, the blanket falling away to reveal pale skin marred by scars. A cut on his upper forearm from a struggle against women in lab-coats. A gouge down his shoulder from a rebellious wind. A starburst on his abdomen from a stray bullet.

Sehun's presses an open mouthed kiss into Suho's lips, which part obligingly. He stays that way until Suho pulls back, a firm hand on the younger's shoulder.

“I'll catch up with you guys. It'll only be a little while and Baekhyun will take care of you.” Suho chuckled, trying to ease the boy.

Sehun pouted and he fell back into the sheets, turning his face away and mumbling into the sheets.

“You're gonna leave me.”

Suho sighed and leant down to press kisses into the pale, bare skin between Sehun's shoulder blades. Suho smiled against his Sehun's skin when he felt the younger shudder, and moved up to nibble at his ear.

“I promise I'll be there quick,” Suho whispered. “You know Baekhyun will take good care of you when I'm away.”

There was beat, and a reluctant agreement drew itself out of Sehun's lips. Suho murmured something soothing into his ears and made to leave. A hand clasped around his wrist.

“One last thing?” Sehun begged, looking very small and very alone on Suho's bed.

Suho sighed, and he thought that at this rate he would never leave the bed at this rate. “One last thing.” Suho agreed, and he let Sehun's mouth fall open to his, a hand snaking around his slim hips.

* * *

Sehun had thrown his head back, soft moans and breathless cries pouring out of his lips, wordless praise over the way the elder's hands touched him, loved him. Suho was starting to pant, groaning as each thrust he made sent him deeper into the taller male's tightness. Sehun had clawed angry red marks into Suho's back by now, but the elder couldn't bring himself to mind the minor pain.

It was gentle and animalistic, the way Suho rocked into Sehun with careful precision and the way Sehun clung to Suho like a wild thing, pushing his hips down as far as it could. They'd done this a few times before Sehun bonded with Tao and more after Sehun lost everything.

“Suho don't leave me. Don't leave me-” Sehun cried out, seeing stars bloom across the back of his eyelids. His cock jerked once, and white cum sprayed itself over his torso, riddled with pink bites.

“I'll never leave you.” Suho panted, speeding up to chase his own climax. “Why would I leave you? My precious, beautiful Sehunnie-”

Suho came with a cry, and Sehun mewled softly as he was filled, smiling in a tired daze. Suho pulled out to carry him to the bath, the same one he would use for Yixing, and nestled the naked boy on his chest as he drew the water.

“But everyone leaves.” Sehun murmured, his eyes slipping closed. Suho brushed a kiss on his forehead.

“Not me. I'll never leave any of you behind.”

* * *

Baekhyun sprawled himself over D.O's lap like a cat in leather and kohl. D.O treated him as such, petting his hair while he impassively looked over a map. Chanyeol was scarfing something down, probably roasted judging by the smell. Or that could be just Chanyeol's scent, Baekhyun couldn't tell. He could catch sight of Kai fretting in a corner, tucking and untucking the knife in his left boot.

It was a while before the uniform thuds of Suho's footfalls came from around the corner. As Sehun slipped into the room ahead of Suho like a ghostly herald, Baekhyun sat up to welcome the youngest into his arms. As Baekhyun started cooing and nuzzling into the blank-faced air manipulator, D.O put away his map and stood to face Suho.

Suho, and the coffin he was dragging along on a water cloud.

“Just putting some decorations out.” Suho hummed, and his eyes swept over his family. “I'm giving you free reign until I join you. Try not to raze down a city.” Everyone laughed, from D.O's quiet chuckle to Chanyeol's loud snorts.

“And if we find them?” Kai asked absentmindedly, reaching over D.O to thumb at a photo of London.

“You kill them,” Suho answered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hur hur hur no more smut after today kids.  
> Next chappie, Cloud 9.


	15. (Up on) Cloud 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An interlude

 

 

> _[Stella]_

“Come on Hunnie.” Baekhyun crooned, trying to coax the boy down from his nest in the open vent. “We're gonna play with Kai before we split up.”

The hotel was a nice one, for a two-night stay. Simply decorated, clean, neat and fairly large. Suho had gotten a suite for them to share, and D.O had gone off to scout the area. Chanyeol had gone with him, out of some desire to sightsee. Kai was lying down on a bed, stripped to a t-shirt and pants, gathering back his energy from the trip.

Above the main room, a fluffy head of dark hair poked out of a vent cautiously.

“Play?” Sehun asked. “What kind of play?”

Baekhyun smiled and encouraged the boy to come down. “What do you want? A play-fight? Sex? Hyung wants to take care of you.”

Sehun cocked his head, pulled himself out of the vent in one fluid motion and dropped on the ground on all fours.

“Play-fight first?” Sehun suggested, inching forward to rest his cheek on Baekhyun's thigh. Baekhyun rubbed his hand into Sehun's hair, agreeing with a soothing voice. Talking to Sehun had become similar to talking to a child or a pet- he was rarely at the stage of coherency he was supposed to be at.

“Just light fighting okay? We're in a room.”

Sehun nodded and drew back, reaching the walls with several quick movements. Kai had shuffled out into the doorway to watch at some point, sitting down cross-legged. Baekhyun lowered his centre and braced himself.

When he nodded, Sehun pounced.

* * *

 

 

 

> _[Luna]_

Chanyeol peered up at the illuminated face of Big Ben and grinned.

“Do not set the giant clock on fire,” D.O ordered in Korean, a cautionary measure against the passers-by. None turned their heads, too busy and too cold to care. Chanyeol's manic smile dropped and he grumbled, shuffling up to stand beside the earth manipulator with a disappointed frown. From afar the height difference was almost comical. That is if you could see anything below the top of D.O's hair from afar.

“There's nothing here,” Chanyeol whined. “I'm hungry!”

D.O let out a guttural sound of annoyance, but he had to agree. There was nothing here. Or at least, nothing worth their attention.

“We'll get food.” D.O agreed, and they began trudging through the cold, October air. He would prefer to buy something from the city proper, that way it was less likely to be a hideously overpriced tourist bait.

“You were looking at the news.” Chanyeol hummed as he skipped across the steps. If he stayed on them too long the faint traces of early winter frost would steam, and that was unnecessary attention. D.O grunted something in acknowledgement, and he moved to hide in Chanyeol's shadow as several girls started giggling at them.

“Find anything?” Chanyeol asked as he smiled and waved. There were several delighted shrieks and D.O began muttering under his breath, yanking Chanyeol into the first street that opened up on his side. “There's a lead in Berlin.” He said. “Stop attracting attention and move.”

* * *

 

 

> _[Noctis]_

Suho took one last look at Lay, still asleep in his coffin.

He turned and left to retire for the night.

* * *

 

> _[Noctis]_

Yixing stood frozen before the red eye, terrified by the enormity of its presence. The essence of the once-Tree was diffusing into him, stripping him away in layers as it groped for his seed- his Lay.

 **Yes.** The Eye boomed. **This was once my child before my twin stole it.**

“Would you help me fight it?” Yixing whimpered. He thought he could be brave, could stand firm, but when faced with the Tree like this- Yixing felt like he was nothing. The insignificance of his existence was overwhelming when compared to the Eye.

 **You are not entirely insignificant.** The Eye boomed again, a somehow softer sound than before. **Nor are you lacking bravery. You came to stand before me did you not?**

 _Help him, maker._ Lay whispered, the seed thrumming against the Eye's aura. _He can be our saviour._

**Hmm.**

Yixing would describe what he felt next as suffocating, despite the fact he was not breathing in this world, as the Eye's essence compacted itself and flowed into Lay.

 **I will help you because it helps me.** The Eye thundered. **I will grant you recompense for the usage of your vessel, once I have taken my children back and killed my twin.**

“Then take it.” Yixing gasped. “Use me, and help them.

Please.”

* * *

 

> _[Sol]_

Luhan sang softly under his breath as he guided Jongdae and Minseok's meagre collection of belongings into a suitcase he'd pilfered. Jongdae stood the side, too sleepy to be nervous or helpful. From the kitchen, the distinct sounds of Minseok and Tao discussing ideas filtered through the air.

“Almaty to Moscow.” Minseok murmured. “It's too close.”

“Baby steps.” Zitao countered. “You have a better chance of getting into our base at China from there. Besides, your element's in season.”

Minseok made a sound of reluctant agreement and Luhan could hear the shuffling of papers. “You're sure you want to split up?”

“I'll go back down to Berlin and clean up some stuff,” Zitao said briskly. “It'll buy us time.”

There a pause, and Luhan slowed down, straining his ears to hear.

“They could be waiting.”

Zitao sounded weary. “I know.”

* * *

 

> _[Caelum]_

Yifan drifted below the clouds of Seoul, high enough to avoid notice. Below was a building in Gangnam, a pretty piece of architecture three stories high.

The mansion used to be a lab until they burnt it down and rebuilt their home over the labyrinth that haunted their nightmares.

Yifan couldn't believe that Suho would still stay here. Was it arrogance on his part, or was it Junmyeon, making sure they always knew where to come home to?

Slowly, Yifan descended. He couldn't sense the Tree's seeds. There was the distinct trace of Suho, yes, but he was alone. And of course, there was Lay, a faint blip on his radar that alarmed him. It was too weak, Lay's presence. Yifan feared for Yixing.

He would do this fast. He couldn't save Junmyeon, but he was damn well going to make sure he would save Yixing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: a smut... and Luhan!


	16. Cloud 9

When Chanyeol walked back into their suite bearing food, he found the trio they'd left behind stacked on top of each other, a haphazard sex pile set up horizontally across his bed. He felt slightly insulted that they started without him, though the sight was definitely enough to make up for it. Chanyeol liked seeing Kai naked, his bronze skin slicked in sweat and his eyes blown with lust. He didn't really mind that Kai was mounted on top of a moaning Sehun, and Baekhyun was managing to fondle his ass from below the pile. Baekhyun's lover on the other hand…

D.O moved around Chanyeol to look and growled. The sound made Baekhyun look up, the coy smile slipping off his face, and Chanyeol represses his desire to tease D.O. The younger looks like a wolf ready to devour.

“What a wonderful boyfriend.” Chanyeol laughed. “What are you doing getting it on without me Kai?”

“What are you doing taking so long?” Kai snapped, thrusting into Sehun, which sent Sehun thrusting into Baekhyun. Below the two younger males, the light manipulator growled as he got jostled around. “Boys!”

Sehun pulled his dick halfway out of Baekhyun, lowering his arms to whimper into the side of Baekhyun's neck in apology. He gave the boy access, and Sehun began lapping at the sweat that had gathered there, like an obedient little pup. Baekhyun used his new angle to grin at D.O and Chanyeol, still standing at the doorway.

“Join us?” He asked.

D.O pushed right past Chanyeol, the taller male stumbling slightly, and went around the bed to loom over Baekhyun's head. The elder grinned at him, and D.O fisted a hand into his hair, growling.

“Mouth,” he demanded, and Baekhyun parted his pink lips obligingly as D.O unbuckled his pants. Chanyeol chuckled at the show, and strode over to Kai, reaching out to cup his bare ass.

“No,” Kai grunted as he thrust into Sehun again. “We're testing physics as it is in this position.”

Chanyeol frowned and Baekhyun laughed. He reached out to tap Sehun on the cheek lightly, and when the boy was focused on him, he made a suggestion. “Sehunnie? Could you help Chanyeol out? Do what I'm doing.”

Then Baekhyun opened his mouth and let D.O's length slid in the wet cavity, moaning.

“Ah.” That would be fine, Chanyeol though as he walked over to the other side of the bed. Sehun was eyeing the bulge in his pants, and he had parted his lips in invitation. When Chanyeol drew closer, he began nuzzling at the straining cock. Chanyeol his, and pulled Sehun back by his hair gently. It felt great when he did that, but he had to make sure of some things first.

“No biting, Sehun-ah.” He said as he pulled down the front of his pants. “Hyung will baby you lots later if you help him out okay?”

Sehun mewled, a sound of pleased assent, and he gave the head of Chanyeol's half hard cock a kittenish lick.

“Fuck, Sehun,” was the only warning Chanyeol gave before he shoved his shaft down Sehun's throat.

* * *

 

 _Give up, Junmyeon._ Suho hissed. _He'll never make it._

“Yes, he will,” Junmyeon whispered, caressing the surface of the coffin lid, outlining the pale, sleeping face under it. “You're so strong Yixing, so brave. You can make it.”

_Give up._

Junmyeon paid him no mind as he began to quietly, oh so quietly, cry.

* * *

 

The train car was stifling, though not from the heat but perhaps the two men seated side by side, one desperate to avoid the elephant in the room while the other was determined to confront it.

“Pistachio?” Jongdae offered weakly, a green nut in his hands. Luhan smiled, something he found was not putting the younger at ease and accepted. There was a moment of awkward silence, wherein Luhan chewed and thought about how he was supposed to go about calming Jongdae, and Jongdae thought about how screwed he was and Minseok, where are you?

“You know,” Luhan began. “I don't mind it.”

Jongdae blinked. “W-what?”

“You and Minseok.” Luhan sighed at Jongdae like he was being dumb. “I don't mind 'Dae.”

Jongdae stared at him, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. Luhan supposed it was a justified reaction. He didn't just use to be Minseok's lover, he used to be Minseok's bonded. Being bonded meant a having connection that transcended physical form, much like the way the seeds were connected with each other and the Tree. But while these connections were like strings, keeping their souls connected, being bonded was like having a blazing path between the two at all times. It required an impressive amount of trust and love. And from Jongdae's point of view, he had set himself on that path a large, ugly rock.

But Luhan understood that he'd lost those, he'd lost the right to Minseok's trust and love when he turned his back on them years ago.

“It's nice,” Luhan said tentatively, fumbling for the right words. “It's great that Minseok found you, and in doing so he's fixed everything I've broken by leaving him. I'm thankful to you, because I loved him too, once. I don't have the right anymore, and I know I should have been there for Minseok. So, Jongdae,” Lunan paused and clasped Jongdae's stuttering hands in his. “Thank you.”

"Why are you thanking me?" Jongdae sputtered. "I should be thanking you for being so okay with this-"

" _Jongdae_ ," Luhan laughed. "You don't need my permission to love Minseok."

Jongdae looked like he'd gotten hit on the head. " _Oh._ Oh my god you're _right_ "

* * *

 

Yixing stood motionless as the universe slid out from beneath his feet.

 **Do not look child.** The Eye resonated. **That will kill you. But you may listen, if you wish.**

So Yixing closed his eyes and listened to a long story about two Trees, in a language that was not made of words but everything else.

> _In the beginning there were two Trees, spouted from the ~~cradle/centre/origin/~~ mother of what is known and what is not._  
>  _Each Tree had six seeds ~~/children/beloved ones~~ , and each seed was a ~~facet/~~ cornerstone ~~/aspect~~ of creation ~~/existence/universe.~~_  
>  _As the world ~~turned/~~ grew ~~/aged/bloomed~~ one Tree grew dissatisfied by their role as ~~watchers/~~ observers/ ~~invisible,~~ seeing the endless possibilities their powers held._  
>  _It wanted more, but it could not achieve more alone_.

“So it took your seeds.” Yixing murmured. “And without them, you weakened.”

The Eye rumbled a sound of agreement. **The power I hold now, I gained from abandoning my form. I will return to my original state once all my children have returned.**

“Can you fight it?” Yixing asked. “In this state?”

 **I will.** The Eye said grimly. **I must.**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Artificial Love


	17. Artifical (bonds won't last against) Love

Yifan cannot pinpoint the exact moment he fell in love with Yixing.

“You've always been in love with him.” Luhan scoffed when he decided to risk his dignity by asking the elder. “You're just too dumb to notice.”

And maybe he was dumb because he let the nature of their relationship remain ambiguous, bouncing between his affections for both Yixing and Junmyeon until both fell out of his reach.

* * *

 

Yifan frowned up the double doors that lead into his former prison.

They were ajar.

It looked like a trap, or the start of a horror movie and Yifan wasn't sure which was worse. The only peace he had to offer his mind was the fact he could only sense Suho. But then again, the fact it was Suho was enough to ring alarm bells. Was he physically prepared to fight Suho? Yes.

Was he mentally prepared to fight Suho?

Yifan tentatively rested his hand on the door handle and pushed lightly, enough him to peak at what lay beyond. It hit him, then, the unusual feeling that had nibbled at his radar every since his arrival in Seoul.

_Lay._

Yifan pushed harder against the doors, rushing in. If Lay was alive, Yixing was alive. But how? The Tree should have killed him after Minseok and Jongdae escaped. Was he weakened? But why hadn't Yifan sensed him? Had Yixing been taken over completely? No, that couldn't be it. Yixing was strong, stronger than people gave him credit for. But he'd been alone for two weeks, and yet was still alive…

Had they tortured him?

Yifan went straight through the house, entering the room that had, if his memory served him right, been used as the living room. As Yifan began to recognise more of his surroundings he began to notice how off-putting the house was. It didn't suit what his once family. It was large but too cold, unable to retain the traces of life the boys were sure to have been left behind. Everything that made it feel like a home had seeped out.

Yifan slowed as he neared the living room. He knew that it was likely that the house's contents would have changed by the time he left, but he found it odd that the living room would be devoid of its couches and chairs. Odder still was the bed of roses, set in a glass box, in the middle of the room. Who puts a bed of roses in the middle of the living room? But as Yifan drew nearer he realised that roses weren't only things in the glass box.

Yifan shakily reached out for the lid, and a voice rang out.

_Looks dead, doesn't he?_

Yifan's eyes snapped up, and in the shadows, he had not paid much mind to, Suho was curled on the floor. In the darkness, he looked awfully pale, like a corpse dragged out of its grave.

 _This is what happens when you betray him._ Suho said without moving his mouth. _Ungrateful children._

“Get out of him,” Yifan growled. “Leave him alone. He doesn't deserve this.”

 _It's his payment._ Suho said, slinking out of the shadows. _He saved him, he saved all of you and in return, you would serve him._

Yifan scoffed. “You didn't save us, you used us. You needed us to serve as vessels because you were weak.”

Yifan dislodged himself from Yixing's coffin and moved away from it, Suho erratically prowling him.

 _I am not weak._ Suho hissed, his voice still retaining the inhuman octaves that Yifan likened to possession.

As Yifan moved further into the moonlight he noticed how ragged Suho looked. He was running Junmyeon to the ground. Yifan needed to chase the Tree's herald out fast or Junmyeon's body would disintegrate. (He deserved a peaceful death, and as his past-love, it was the least Yifan could do for him.)

“But it's true isn't it?” Yifan taunted as they circled each other. “After the fight with the Eye, you got broken. You were too imperfect for the Tree to use and it cast you down here to look for vessels. Face it Suho. You need us, and we don't need you.”

Suho snarled and flung himself across the space between them- Yifan barely had time to put his hands up before the shorter man bodily connected with him, sending him crashing into the wall. Yifan groped around for Suho's arms, his eyesight too blurry for any complicated moves. He found a hand- when the back of it hit him across the cheek in a mad flail.

“Get the fuck out of Junmyeon.” Yifan snarled as pulled his feet between his chest and what he was starting to make out as a hysterical Suho. He kicked out and Suho went flying back to where he was standing before the scuffle, and Yifan managed to scramble to his feet fast enough to get on him.

“Get out,” Yifan demanded again. Suho sneered at him and he went limp. Yifan furrowed his brows in confusion- until the water went over his nose and mouth. He ripped himself of Suho to claw at the bag of water in panic, the hydrokinetic's scratchy laughter a faint ring in his ears.

 _Shit._ Yifan thought _. Shit, shit, shit!_ _His vision was getting darker!_

**Hmm.**

The water lost it's life and Yifan went down on his knees, gasping for breath. Suho jerked up and flattened himself against the wall.

**Hmm.**

“No!” Suho screamed, his voice closer to human. “Impossible!”

Yifan looked up to Suho's terrified face, lit aglow by something behind him. What the hell? Yifan turned and froze.

Yixing was awake, standing behind him serenely. But it wasn't Yixing because Yixing's eyes didn't glow _red_.

Slowly, like he was moving through tar, the thing inside Yixing's body turned it's gaze down to smile at Yifan. **Hello, child.**

Yifan gaped at him. “Yixing what did you do?”

The Eye, unmistakable in the way it set Yifan's radar on fire, ignored his question and moved towards Suho. **Hello, little seedling.**

“No, no, no, no-” Suho chanted under his breath, his eyes wide in panic. Yifan could see him shaking in place as the Eye drew nearer. Yifan could only watch in a trance as the Eye reached Suho and placed the frightened man's face in his hands, an almost caring smile in it's face.

**Shall I free you?**

Yifan snapped out of it as Suho started screaming.

He jumped up and started clawing at the Eye's arms, but he could've been clawing at marble for all the effect it had. The Eye remained fixated on Suho even as, to Yifan's horror, the seedling began to bleed. Yifan tugged on the Eye's arms harder as blood began trickling from the corners of Suho's mouth, his eyes, his nose and his ears.

“Stop!” Yifan yelled. “You're going to kill him! This isn't the only way!”

Yifan closed his eyes and reached for Kris. _Stop him,_ Yifan begged. _For once, you_ fucking _unwanted ability, help me!_

Yifan opened his eyes, and saw his finger tips, closed tight around the white fabric of the suit Yixing was wearing, glow faintly.

Something exploded, and Yifan was blown backwards. His flight came to a stop as he crashed into a wall, and for a moment his vision hazed. Breathing heavily, and suddenly feeling immensely drained, he groped around the floor to steady himself. He felt a hand close around his wrist and he jerked, but these fingers were too long and slender to be Suho's.

 **Stupid child-vessel** , the Eye sighed in admonishment. Yifan felt his cheeks burn like he'd gotten told off by a parent. **Do not move,** the Eye said and Yifan felt the familiar homeliness of Lay's healing abilities seep into his skin. And with it apparently, the old bond.

 _KrisKrisKris!_ Lay chirped in excitement.

 _LayLayLay!_ Kris responded with equal enthusiasm.

 **Excited little children,** the Eye said fondly. Yifan had to agree.

He'd bask in the momentary peace for a few more seconds, if a slightly familiar pop, accompanied by an ashy scent, hadn't appeared in the room. Yifan got a good look at Kai, a leaner boy than he remembered with a disturbingly blank face before the Eye pushed Yifan firmly behind him. Yifan felt a little disgruntled, since he was supposed to saving Yixing here, and peaked around the Eye to watch Kai stare at them with unfocused eyes.

 _Kai!_ A voice barked out, resonant and heavy. That's not Suho, Yifan though.

Kai moved towards the wrecked remains of the opposing living room wall and reached down to pull a body up. It was still Junmyeon's body, but as Yifan met the burning hate in his gaze he felt his gut sink.

“Two can play at this game, brother.” The Tree spat as Kai hoisted him up. Yifan's- well, Kris's burst had banged him up pretty badly from what he could see.

 **Leave,** the Eye said calmly. **You are deluded if you think you are still fit to fight.**

“Well, neither are you.” The Tree shot back, and they popped out of existence, carried away by Kai's power.

 **Dramatic little shit** , the Eye grumbled and he turned back to face Yifan. He looked confused once he saw his face. **What worries you now child-vessel?**

Yifan really didn't have the energy to think anymore. “Junmyeon.” He answered. “And Yixing.”

The Eye's features softened, and he reached a hand out to Yifan's temple. A bond surged between them, and Yifan-

Yifan couldn't fucking believe it.

 _It's okay._ Yixing whispered to him. Yifan felt the familiar warmth of his soul throb, and enveloped in it was a weaker, but no less familiar soul. _I've got him._

“Yixing, you're the world's greatest idiot,” Yifan grumbled. He heard the younger laugh.

_Trust me, he said. I have a plan. Oh, and we can't hold this for long-_

Yixing's presence faded, and his body slumped sideways.

“What the- Yixing!”

* * *

 

Kai brought them out to an abandoned warehouse in Marseilles, the sun flickering weakly outside the windows.

“Leave,” the Tree ordered. “And forget this.”

Kai nodded silently and vanished, leaving the Tree to slump down, drained.

“I'll have to absorb them soon.” The Tree murmured, and his eyes slid close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little late but longer than usual :)

**Author's Note:**

> [Ask Me Anything!](http://ask.fm/AlexElyssian)
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> (really, guys, throw your questions at me here)


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